i 


BJ  1581  . P7  1923 

Poling,  Daniel  A.  1884-1968 

Learn  t q  live 


* 


Learn  to  Live 


LEARN  TO 


Straight  Talks  for  To-day 


DANIEL  A. 


By 

OLING,  Litt.  D.f  LL.  D. 


Associate  President  and  Citizenship  Supt. 

The  United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavour. 
Associate  Pastor,  Marble  Collegiate  Church,  New  York. 


Author  of  “  Huts  in  Hell “  Mothers  of  Men  M 


With  an  Introduction  by 

DAVID  JAMES  BURRELL,  D.  D. 


New  York  Chicago 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  1923,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


Printed  in  United  States  of  America 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:  75  Princes  Street 


To  my  father, 

CHARLES  CUPP  POLING, 
Minister  of  the  Gospel . 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/learntolivestraiOOpoli 


INTRODUCTORY  LETTER 


STUDY  OF  THE 
MARBLE  COLLEGIATE  CHURCH 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


My  Dear  Dan: 

They  tell  me  you  are  writing  another  book ; 
and  this  is  as  it  should  be. 

A  wise  man, — wiser  than  either  you  or  I, — 
said  some  thousands  of  years  ago,  “  Of  mak¬ 
ing  many  books  there  is  no  end,” — and  then 
proceeded  to  write  more  books,  much  better 
than  mine  or  yours,  which,  strange  to  say,  are 
among  the  “  best  sellers  ”  in  the  book  mar¬ 
kets  of  the  world  to-day.  But  then,  he  “  wrote 
as  he  was  moved  by  the  Spirit  of  God.”  May 
you  be  “  borne  onward  ”  (as  the  original  has 
it)  in  the  same  great  way. 

You  wouldn’t  be  writing  if  you  did  not  have 
something  to  say;  but,  allowing  all  that,  you 
know  how  everything  depends  on  how  one 
says  his  something.  I  am  now  presuming  on 
the  fact  that  advice  is  the  privilege  of  old 
friendship,  as  I  venture  to  advise  you  how  not 
to  do  it. 

To  begin  with,  Don’t  seem  too  wise;  unless 

you  are  heedless  of  discovery.  Profundity  is 

mud;  simplicity  is  rock  crystal.  The  longest 

6 


6 


INTRODUCTORY  LETTER 


word  in  the  Bible  (in  John  3 : 16)  is  only  two 
letters  long. 

Next,  Don’t  be  too  serious.  Paul  counselled 
all  Bishops  to  “  be  sober  ”  and  all  Deacons 
to  “  be  grave  ”;  but,  lest  they  might  overdo 
gravity  and  sobriety,  he  wrote,  44  Rejoice  in 
the  Lord  alway;  and  again  I  say  unto  you, 
rejoice.”  It  is  rumored  that  some  saints 
(probably  dyspeptic)  “  wear  long  faces;  just 
as  if  their  Maker,  the  Lord  of  Glory,  were  an 
undertaker.”  However,  under  this  particular 
head  I  have  no  fears  for  you. 

One  thing  more:  Don’t  shut  out  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  your  Senior  class.  Of  course  you  will 
be  writing  for  younger  folks;  but,  mind  you, 
youth  is  not  a  matter  of  years,  or  of  mere 
physique,  or  of  reckless  abandon,  but  of  life. 
Take  me,  for  example,  who  shall  be  fourscore 
by  the  time  your  forthcoming  book  is  out: 
believe  me,  I  know  what  Ponce  de  Leon  never 
found  out,  to  wit,  where  the  fountain  of  per¬ 
petual  youth  bubbles  from  the  Everlasting 
Rock.  You  know  that  too;  for  together  we 
have  knelt  beside  it. 

So,  dear  book-maker,  have  a  little  heart  for 
me  and  other  patriarchal  youth  while  you  are 
writing  about  Life.  Give  us — who  having- 
long  slaked  our  thirst  at  the  fountain  are  ever 
athirst  for  more — to  drink  of  the  water  that 
gushes  from  the  Rock  4  4  beside  the  gate  of 


INTRODUCTORY  LETTER 


t 


Bethlehem.”  What  was  it  the  Master  called 
His  well!  “  Life  and  life  more  abun¬ 
dantly!  ” 

As  you  will  remember  the  cry  of  Bunyan’s 
Christian  as  he  ran  toward  the  Celestial  City 
with  his  fingers  in  his  ears,  was  “  Life,  life, 
eternal  life !  ”  What  a  theme  for  a  book!  Go 
to  it,  my  friend,  with  the  ineffable  vision  in 
your  eyes,  and  your  pen  dipped  in  “  Siloa’s 
brook  that  flows  fast  by  the  Oracle  of  God  ’  ’ : 
and,  when  you  come  to  your  peroration,  be 
sure  to  sound  the  glory  of  Him  who  said,  “  I 
am  The  Life.”  For,  when  all  is  said  and 
done,  we  do  not  live  unless  we  live  in  Him. 

Yours  for  life  here — and  beyond, 

David  James  Burrell. 


Contents 


I. 

Lib  Down  and  Look  Up  . 

.  11 

II. 

Get  Up  and  Go  On  . 

.  19 

III. 

The  Might  of  Right 

.  34 

IV. 

The  Patience  of  the  Strong  . 

.  48 

V. 

Torches  Aloft . 

.  62 

VI. 

A  Man’s  Fight . 

.  73 

VII. 

The  Acid  Test . 

.  81 

VIII. 

The  Depths  of  Despair 

.  97 

IX. 

The  Heights  of  Happiness  . 

.  110 

X. 

A  Religion  of  Adventure 

.  123 

XI. 

The  Price  of  Peace 

.  137 

XII. 

How  To  Be  Born  .... 

.  152 

XIII. 

How  To  Live . 

.  162 

XIV. 

How  To  Die . 

.  168 

XV. 

How  To  Live  Forever  . 

.  174 

XVI. 

Do  the  Dead  Return?  . 

.  183 

I 

LIE  DOWN  AND  LOOK  UP 


ON  the  Fourth  of  July,  1921,  an  unan¬ 
ticipated  and  violent  change  took 
place  in  the  programme  of  my  life, 
and  I  was  suddenly  removed  from  the  activi¬ 
ties  that  engaged  my  body  and  mind.  After 
the  first  days,  which  passed  as  an  evil  night 
through  which  I  was  brought  by  the  skill  of 
my  physicians,  the  prayers  of  my  friends,  and 
the  love  of  those  who  would  not  let  me  go,  I 
rested  beside  still  waters,  and,  lying  down  in 
green  pastures,  I  looked  up. 

It  was  a  wonderful  experience,  and  as  per¬ 
sonal  as  the  pronoun  of  the  immortal  Psalm 
indicates.  It  was  the  vision  splendid  that 
neither  tongue  nor  pen  can  describe,  and  that 
eyes  focused  to  the  traffic  of  the  busy  road 
can  never  see.  But  the  vision  is  to  no  man 
denied,  and  without  it  Life  is  infinitely  poorer 
than  God  wants  life  to  be. 

Nor  do  I  believe  that  it  should  be  necessary 
for  a  broken  steering-gear  and  a  telephone 
pole  to  conspire  in  order  that  it  be  made  pos¬ 
sible.  However,  I  do  know  that  I  am  debtor 

n 


\ 


12 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


to  the  pain;  for,  as  I  study  my  impatient 
heart,  I  find  nothing  to  indicate  that  I  should 
have  come  into  the  “  green  pastures  ”  by  a 
less  violent  road.  And  perhaps  there  are 
others  who,  remembering  the  long  illness,  the 
bruising  crash,  the  financial  catastrophe,  the 
overwhelming  grief,  the  supreme  tragedy,  are 
saying,  “  He  maheth  me  to  lie  down  in  green 
pastures.’  ’ 

But,  while  a  man  cannot  describe  so  inti¬ 
mate  an  experience,  there  is  one  discovery  I 
may  share.  Slowly  at  first,  but  with  ever- 
increasing  momentum,  came  the  realization  of 
the  inadequacy  of  life,  the  conviction  of  the 
futility  of  this  life  unrelated  to  the  life  con¬ 
tinuing  beyond  that  which  we  call  death. 

I  felt  it  first  as  I  lay  upon  the  narrow  bed 
in  the  friendly  room  from  which  I  looked  up 
into  the  trees  and  saw  again,  dancing  among 
the  leaves,  and  swinging  from  the  boughs,  the 
birds  and  beasts  of  my  boyhood’s  fancy;  when 
with  them  came  trooping  back  the  friends  of 
long  ago,  and  simple  flowers  smiled  at  me  in 
recognition  after  years  of  my  forgetfulness. 

I  had  lost  them  all,  not  because  I  scorned 
them,  nor  yet  because  I  needed  them  no  longer, 
but  because  my  days  were  crowded  with  tasks 
immediate  and  compelling,  which  left  me 
little  time  for  old  dreams,  while  they  robbed 
me  of  the  mood  that  turns  a  man  to  memories. 


LIE  DOWN  AND  LOOK  UP 


13 


For  an  eager  person  there  are  not  hours 
enough  in  any  day,  there  are  not  years  enough 
in  life  itself,  to  loiter  in  the  pathways  of  the 
past,  and  at  the  same  time  keep  the  pace  of 
life’s  forced  marches.  Life  is  not  long  enough 
for  the  old  songs  and  the  new. 

But  I  had  heard  again  the  music  and  seen  in 
fancy  once  again  the  faces  of  my  childhood. 
Must  I  lose  them,  or  might  I  hope  to  hold 
them?  I  was  eager,  too,  for  my  release  to 
come,  eager  with  the  passion  for  my  work; 

and  at  the  last  a  fever  of  impatience  was  upon 

*0 

me.  After  such  an  experience  how  a  man 
thanks  God,  when  his  hands  are  full  again, 
when  his  body  is  out  of  splints,  and  his  mind 
unleashed!  But  must  he  lose  the  dreams ? 

There  came,  too,  the  realization  of  how 
little  time  there  is  to  see  the  beautiful,  the 
amazing,  world  in  which  we  live ;  to  study  its 
rocks,  to  follow  its  streams,  to  commune  with 
its  deserts,  to  climb  its  mountains,  to  compass 
its  seas,  to  journey  along  the  trail  of  its  his¬ 
tory  into  the  past,  and  to  sit  upon  the  en¬ 
chanted  mesas  that  were  centuries  before 
recorded  history  began. 

In  my  green  pastures  I  came  upon  the 
pueblos  of  the  Hopi  and  the  hogans  of  the 
Navajo;  I  rested  beneath  the  cedars  by  the 
cliff  ruins  of  a  people  whose  civilization  was 
ancient  centuries  before  the  Spaniard  fol- 


14 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


lowed  Coronado  in  his  futile  quest  for  Monte¬ 
zuma’s  gold.  One  morning  I  stood  upon  the 
southern  rim  of  that  overwhelming  chasm,  the 
Grand  Canon  of  the  Colorado.  I  allowed  my 
telescope  to  follow  the  meanderings  of  Bright 
Angel  trail  across  the  yellow  floor  in  the 
depths,  a  mile  below,  and  then  to  climb  the 
castled  northern  wall  to  where  the  pines 
rimmed  the  plateau  a  thousand  feet  above  me, 
and,  as  an  eagle  flies,  fifteen  miles  away. 

Turning  to  my  friend,  I  said,  ‘  ‘  How  I  wish 
that  I  could  make  the  trip  across  and  look 
back!  ”  He  smiled  as  he  replied:  “  The  look 
is  worth  a  fortune,  and  has  cost  a  few  men 
their  lives.  Even  now,  with  the  new  suspen¬ 
sion  bridge,  it  is  a  harder  journey  by  trail  and 
pack  than  you  are  ready  for ;  and,  besides,  we 
haven’t  time!  ” 

We  haven’t  time  in  one  vacation,  we  haven’t 
time  in  the  vacations  of  a  life,  to  see  the  won- 
ders  of  our  own  country,  the  Painted  Deserts, 
the  Petrified  Forests,  and  the  living  sequoias ; 
the  Rainbow  Bridges,  the  Yellowstones  and 
the  Yosemites,  the  Adirondacks  and  the  Cats¬ 
kills;  we  haven’t  time  to  follow  closely  where 
Pilgrim  feet  have  trod. 

At  best  we  hurry  through  a  national  park 
or  two,  sniff  the  desert  alkali  from  a  speed¬ 
ing  transcontinental  train,  and  take  the  his¬ 
tory  of  a  brave  New  England  village  from  a 


LIE  DOWN  AND  LOOK  UP 


15 


sign-board  by  the  way.  As  to  Europe,  we  do 
it  in  six  weeks  or  less,  and  all  the  regions 
beyond  are  for  the  most  of  us  forever 
beyond. 

There  are  at  least  a  thousand  places  I 
should  like  to  visit,  that  I  shall  never  see ;  and 
each  new  journey  adds  to  the  Meccas  of  desire 
toward  which  I  turn  eager  eyes.  But  they 
are  far  away,  and  I  haven ’t  time ! 

I  haven’t  time  for  the  work  that  I  would  do. 
To  finish  the  tasks  that  I  have  outlined  for 
brain  and  pen  would  take  at  least  a  hundred 
years.  I  shall  hurry  through  with  a  little.  I 
shall  complete,  in  a  way,  a  few,  and  then  turn 
from  my  desk  in  response  to  the  summons  no 
man  may  deny. 

It  has  been  ever  thus.  The  gray-haired 
artist  before  the  easel  of  his  masterpiece 
cries:  “  Oh,  I  would  paint  it,  paint  it  in  the 
colours  that  have  thus  far  eluded  me.  Oh,  I 
would  finish  it  if  I  could,  but  I  haven ’t  time !  ’  9 
The  musician  comes  at  length  to  his  great 
symphony;  and,  wrapping  the  draperies  of 
his  last  couch  about  him,  sighs,  “  Yes,  I  could 
finish  it  now,  but  I  haven’t  time!  ”  The 
preacher  turns  his  failing  eyes  upon  the 
closely  written  pages  of  manuscript;  his 
trembling  finger’s  are  poised  to  complete  the 
message;  and  then  his  spirit,  buoyant  as  a 
bird,  soars  far  beyond  his  trailing  hand; 


16 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


stooping  low,  I  catch  his  whisper,  “  Yes,  I 
planned  to  finish  it,  hut  now  I  haven’t 
time!  ” 

Thus  we  all  come  to  the  fateful  ending  of 
our  dreams  and  labours ;  princes  and  paupers, 
statesmen  and  seers,  the  wise  and  the  unwise, 
the  selfish  and  the  unselfish,  simple  folk  and 
mighty.  No  man  yet  has  had  time  in  time  to 
finish  his  symphony,  to  complete  his  picture, 
to  perfect  his  life. 

And  what  of  friendship,  aye,  and  what  of 
love?  In  a  little  city  of  northern  Michigan 
I  stood  one  evening  with  the  man  to  whom  as 
a  Christian  worker  with  a  measure  of  leader¬ 
ship  among  young  people  I  owe  more  than  I 
owe  to  any  other  man,  Charles  Hubbell,  my 
predecessor  as  general  secretary  of  the  Ohio 
Christian  Endeavour  Union.  A  convention  had 
just  closed,  and  speakers  and  delegates  were 
departing.  My  friend  held  my  hand  strongly, 
and  said:  “  Come  home  with  me,  Dan,  just 
for  to-night.  We  haven’t  been  together  for  a 
year.”  And  I  replied,  “  Old  man,  I’d  rather 
do  it  than  anything  else  I  know,  hut  I  haven’t 
time.”  And  Hubbell  answered  me  with  a 
wistful  smile,  “  I  knew  it;  we  never  have 
time.”  And  I  never  saw  that  smile  again. 

Long  ago  there  came  into  my  life  a  sister. 
The  ringlets  hung  upon  her  alabaster  brow 
like  golden  threads  of  dawn.  No  artist  ever 


LIE  DOWN  AND  LOOK  UP 


17 


captured  such  a  smile.  She  tripped  across 
my  path,  and  then  was  gone.  I  called  to  her, 
and  searched  for  her,  and  wept  because  she 
did  not  come;  I  could  not  understand.  Some¬ 
times  from  out  the  frame  of  memory  her  eyes 
smile  down,  hut  that  is  all.  I  never  really 
knew  the  blue-eyed  little  girl.  She  passed  so 
quickly  that  there  wasn’t  time.  The  dear 
ones  we  have  loved  and  lost  awhile  we  did  not 
know.  We  walked  together;  we  played  to¬ 
gether  ;  we  followed  mountain  trails  together ; 
we  rejoiced  together;  we  suffered  together; 
but  we  were  very  busy,  and  we  never  knew 
each  other,  for  there  was  not  time. 

I  have  another  Friend.  I  met  Him  first  in 
the  home  of  my  mother,  at  her  knee,  and  by 
the  fireside  where  my  father  prayed.  By  all 
my  ways  to  this  hour  He  has  been  my  com¬ 
rade  who  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.  More 
and  more  I  am  coming  to  look  upon  men 
through  His  eyes  and  to  evaluate  social  rela¬ 
tions  according  to  His  standards.  He  is 
“  such  a  friend.” 

“In  sorrow  He’s  my  comfort; 

In  trouble  He’s  my  stay; 

He  tells  me  every  care  on  Him  to  roll.” 

But  even  now  I  begin  to  realize  that  I  do 
not  know  Him,  that,  if  I  live  to  be  as  old  as 
the  last  of  the  “  fathers,”  I  shall  not  have 
fathomed  His  understanding,  His  wisdom, 


18 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


His  tolerance,  His  idealism,  the  practicability 
of  His  programme,  His  love.  In  my  last  day 
and  with  my  latest  breath,  however  much  I 
may  have  experienced  in  Him,  I  shall  be  com¬ 
pelled  with  the  apostle  Paul  to  cry,  u  0  to 
know  Him!  ”  To  become  acquainted  with 
Jesus  Christ,  this  life  is  not  long  enough. 
There  isn’t  time. 

Then  this  is  life! — pictures  unfinished, 
manuscripts  incomplete,  beauties  of  nature 
undiscovered,  friendships  unsatisfied,  and  love 
thwarted!  Then  this  is  life! 

No,  this  is  not  life;  that  which  we  have 
called  life  is  not  life  at  all.  It  is  scarcely 
life’s  beginning;  eternity  is  mine,  else  God, 
who  never  made  an  imperfection,  has  created 
as  many  broken-hearted  failures  as  there  are 
human  souls  since  time  began. 

“  Tell  me  not  in  mournful  numbers 
Life  is  but  an  empty  dream; 

For  the  soul  is  dead  that  slumbers, 

And  things  are  not  what  they  seem. 

u  Life  is  real;  life  is  earnest; 

And  the  grave  is  not  its  goal. 

Dust  thou  art,  to  dust  returnest, 

Was  not  spoken  of  the  soul.” 

Out  of  this  experience  has  come  the  con¬ 
firmation  of  faith.  I  know  that  love’s  labour 
will  not  be  lost,  that  all  things  are  mine,  that 
there  will  be  time  enough,  for  I  shall  live 
forever. 


II 


GET  UP  AND  GO  ON 


HERE  is  a  time  for  resting  and  a  time 


for  rising;  a  time  for  dreaming  and 


a  time  for  doing.  “  He  rnaketk  me 


to  lie  down  in  green  pastures;  lie  leadetli  me 
beside  the  still  waters  ’  ’ ;  and  in  the  green  pas¬ 
tures  and  beside  the  still  waters  “  he  restor- 
eth  my  soul  ”  and  renews  my  body,  gives  me 
muscle  and  morale  for  the  long  trail  of  His 
forced  marches.  Now  I  shall  follow  Him  “  all 
the  days  of  my  life.”  Preparation  without 
participation  is  as  futile  as  faith  without 
works.  Lie  down  and  look  up,  and  then  get 
up  and  go  on. 

I  know  a  man  whose  hair  is  graying  about 
the  temples  and  whose  step  has  lost  the  elas¬ 
ticity  of  youth,  whose  whole  life  thus  far  has 
been  spent  in  refined  idleness.  His  prepara¬ 
tory  school  was  as  distinguished  as  the  uni¬ 
versity  that  graduated  him  at  the  head  of  his 
class.  He  is  a  world  traveler,  and  his  library 
is  a  paradise  to  those  who  love  good  books  and 
rare  manuscripts. 

But  mentally  he  is  blase  and  spiritually  he 


19 


20 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


is  flabby.  If  he  ever  had  it,  he  has  lost  his 
“  moral  muscle  for  mighty  tasks.”  The  broad 
acres  of  his  sturdy  father  are  slowly  drifting 
back  to  their  pre-colonial  wildness.  The  great 
orchards  that  were  the  delight  of  his  vigorous 
sire  are  dead  or  dying,  and  upon  the  affairs 
of  a  state  that  he  seemed  strikingly  equipped 
to  serve  he  looks  as  a  disinterested  spectator. 
There  is  nothing  in  any  record  to  indicate  that 
the  great  war  stirred  him  from  his  lethargy. 
Unaroused  he  dreamed  through  that  catas¬ 
trophe  of  the  ages. 

I  know  that  he  has  seen  many  beautiful 
things,  and  any  man  may  well  envy  him  the 
opportunities  he  has  enjoyed.  I  believe,  too, 
that  there  was  a  time  when  he  had  visions. 
But  I  have  little  hope  for  him  now.  He  has 
been  lying  down  too  long.  He  will  never  get 
up  and  go  on. 

Nor  am  I  able  to  understand  his  kind,  for 
there  is  an  inner  urge  that  drives  men  for¬ 
ward  in  spite  of  physical  weakness,  that  al¬ 
lows  them  only  a  temporary  satisfaction  in 
any  peaceful,  quiet  valley,  and  that  builds  out 
of  dreams,  and  shapes  from  visions,  the  tools 
for  mighty  doings,  the  weapons  of  their  great 
desire.  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  quench  the 
Spirit;  to  put  out  the  immortal  fire.  But 
where  opposition  and  suffering  and  grief,  yes, 
and  ten  thousand  dark  defeats  serve  only  to 


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21 


feed  its  flame,  indolence  smothers  and  de¬ 
stroys  it. 

What  is  this  inner  urge?  It  is  divine. 
J esus  was  in  the  grip  of  it  when  to  the  anxious 
parents  who  came  seeking  Him  in  the  temple 
He  put  the  question,  “  Wist  ye  not  that  I 
must  ” — that  I  must — “  he  about  my  Father’s 
business?  ”  It  was  the  great  “  I  must  and 
He  who  could  baffle  the  minds  of  the  wise  men 
of  the  synagogue,  who  could  intercept  the  evil 
purposes  of  the  Pharisees,  who  could  disperse 
enemies  and  destroy  death  itself,  could  not 
escape  the  compulsion  that  held  the  bridle  of 
His  soul. 

Ho  I  say,  “  Could  not?  99  Yes,  could  not, 
and  to  Himself  be  true.  Nor  can  I  evade  this 
burning,  yet  never  hurning-out  desire  without 
silencing  the  divine  voice  within  me,  the  voice 
that  made  Jesus  the  Master,  and  that  if 
obeyed  will  make  me  a  master  too. 

Here  is  the  hidden  spring  of  life,  the  yeast 
that  lifts  the  humble  flower  from  the  frozen 
clod  and  makes  the  Alpine  daisy  burst  into 
bloom,  that  forces  upward  through  the  rocks 
the  cypress  of  a  storm-swept  coast,  that  vital¬ 
izes  every  living  thing. 

I  have  watched  the  new-born  lambs  when  on 
sunny  hillsides  in  the  springtime  they  strug¬ 
gle  to  their  wabbly  legs  and  crumple  into 
helpless  heaps,  and  struggle  up  again.  I  have 


22 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


seen  a  baby  robin  on  clumsy  wing  leave  the 
swaying  limb  and  tumble  through  the  air  in 
its  first  precarious  flight.  It  is  the  great 
“  I  must.” 

And  you  have  felt  its  burning,  and  know  its 
compulsion,  within  your  own  breast.  How 
eager  you  were  to  go  on  your  long-anticipated 
journey;  to  bury  yourself  away  from  things 
and  far  from  people ;  to  commune  with  nature 
in  her  forests;  to  walk  with  her  under  quiet 
skies,  by  softly  flowing  rivers;  to  rest  upon 
her  desert  bosom! 

But,  when  you  reached  the  peaceful  place 
you  longed  for,  how  quickly  you  became  un¬ 
easy  and  dissatisfied!  You  could  hardly  wait 
for  your  leave  to  expire;  perhaps  you  antici¬ 
pated  by  days  or  weeks  the  end  of  your  vaca¬ 
tion,  and  were  back  at  your  office  far  ahead  of 
your  schedule.  It  is  the  great  “  I  must.” 

A  son  comes  to  his  father  with  a  wild  plan 
that  involves  the  immediate  termination  of 
his  college  career,  entering  business  and  em¬ 
barking  upon  the  sea  of  finance  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  becoming  quickly  rich  and  relieving 
the  family  from  its  straitened  circumstances. 
He  discourages  him,  of  course,  steadies  him 
through,  holds  him  firmly  to  his  programme  of 
preparation.  But  what  is  it  that  lights  the 
restless  fire  in  his  eye,  that  warms  his  blood 
with  ambitions,  and  that  causes  his  father’s 


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23 


heart  to  leap  within  him,  the  while  he  directs 
his  course  and  holds  him  wisely  in  the  leash  of 
parental  authority!  What  is  it!  It  is  the 
great  “  I  must.” 

Sickness  strikes  yon  down,  and  slowly  yon 
fight  yonr  way  back.  Yonr  friends  and  physi¬ 
cians  and  your  better  judgment  unite  to  plan 
a  quiet  period  of  recuperation.  No  burdens 
for  the  body,  no  anxieties  for  the  mind,  no 
journey  to  draw  upon  your  strength,  no  con¬ 
sideration  of  troublesome  questions  to  sap 
your  vitality. 

But  with  each  day  that  brings  added 
strength,  you  fret  the  more  against  restric¬ 
tions,  that  fence  you  from  the  highways  of 
travel,  that  keep  your  hand  from  the  plough, 
and  your  pen  from  the  page.  What  is  it! 
What  is  this  compulsion,  stronger  than  doc¬ 
tor’s  commands,  and  sometimes  more  com¬ 
manding  that  the  orders  of  common  sense! 
It  is  the  great  “  I  must.” 

Such  a  force  as  this,  so  great  a  passion,  so 
authoritative  a  power,  is  always  positive;  in¬ 
variably  it  is  a  curse  if  it  is  not  a  blessing. 
Humanly  expressed,  it  produces  an  Abel  or  a 
Cain,  a  Paul  or  a  Nero,  a  Lincoln  or  a  Gen¬ 
ghis  Khan.  Its  leadership  is  one  of  action; 
its  genius  is  creative;  it  has  no  final  satisfac¬ 
tion  in  things  that  are;  and  for  them  it  fre¬ 
quently  has  too  little  respect.  In  its  wake  are 


24 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


either  noisome  ruins  or  cities  fairer  than  those 
it  found.  Because  of  it  many  an  anxious 
David  has  questioned,  “  Is  the  young  man 
Absalom  safe?  ”  and  no  eager  and  ambitious 
Absalom  is  ever  safe  until  his  passion  is 
matched  with  a  worthy  task,  until  the  driving 
force  of  his  soul  is  geared  to  some  great 
endeavour. 

Jesus  Christ  was  and  is  the  worlds  salva¬ 
tion,  and  in  all  reverence  let  it  be  said  that 
His  own  salvation  was  the  sublime  fact  that 
He  came  not  to  do  His  own  will,  that  He  was 
about  “  the  Father’s  business.”  It  was  His 
inner  urge.  His  great  “  I  must.”  His  con¬ 
suming  passion,  His  divine  compulsion.  And 
Jesus  is  our  example. 

There  is  no  other  path  by  which  a  man  may 
find  his  way  through  the  darkness  of  selfish¬ 
ness  and  by  the  pitfalls  of  lust  to  the  guarded 
heights  than  the  way  of  Jesus,  which  was  first 
the  Via  crucis ,  and  then  the  way  of  triumph. 
I,  too,  must  serve  others,  and  not  self.  I,  too, 
must  prefer  another’s  good  above  my  own.  I, 
too,  must  be  about  “  my  Father’s  business.” 

And  what  is  the  Father’s  business?  What 
is  His  business  who  made  the  earth  and  sky 
and  sea  and  all  that  in  them  is?  And  Jesus 
answers,  11  I  am  come  that  ye  might  have 
life  and  that  ye  might  have  it  more  abun¬ 
dantly.”  Not  to  set  up  a  throne  supported  by 


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25 


temporal  agencies,  not  to  amass  great  wealth, 
not  to  open  new  continents  to  trade,  not  to 
please  Himself,  but  to  make  little  children 
laugh  as  they  played  about  His  knees,  to  open 
the  eyes  of  the  blind,  to  raise  the  widow’s  son, 
to  rebuke  the  exploiters  of  the  poor,  to  inter¬ 
pret  loyalty,  to  lead  forward  the  soul  to  the 
high  seat  above  the  body,  to  reveal  love 
stronger  than  selfishness  and  mightier  than 
hate,  to  raise  the  dead  and  to  destroy  death, 
to  give  the  more  abundant  life  and  to  perfect 
man,  Jesus  came. 

Here  and  nowhere  else  is  the  hope  of  my 
salvation  from  a  career  spent  in  selfishness 
and  terminated  in  disappointment. 

What  physical  as  well  as  spiritual  minis¬ 
tries  now  stand  revealed  as  the  business  of 
the  Father!  Jesus  gathered  the  hungry 
multitudes  about  Him  on  the  hillsides,  and  fed 
them  until,  satisfied,  they  turned  away.  We 
send  our  grain  to  starving  Armenia,  and  heed 
the  call  for  bread  that  rises  on  the  wing  of 
agony  above  the  steppes  of  Russia  and  the 
hills  of  Tang.  He  touched  the  palsied,  and 
they  walked;  and  to-day  on  Africa’s  burning 
sands  the  Great  Physician  still  is  passing  by ; 
with  Him  are  nurses  of  the  tender  touch,  sur¬ 
geons  whose  scalpels  and  trenchers  are  more 
potent  than  an  empire’s  sword,  and  whose 
hospitals  stand  more  firmly  than  the  buildings 


26 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


-  of  state.  No  cry  of  “  Unclean  ”  could  halt 
this  wonder-working  Nazarene.  It  was  to  Him 
an  invitation,  and  even  as  I  speak  His  spirit 
sweeps  with  cleansing  fire  into  every  plague- 
infested  port.  Great  foundations  have  placed 
vast  funds  at  the  disposal  of  men  and  women 
who,  counting  their  lives  as  not  dear  unto 
themselves,  have  brought  the  advance  guards 
of  science  to  the  world’s  most  remote  strong¬ 
holds  of  disease. 

I  see  them  go ! — the  flower  of  our  youth,  the 
fairest  sons  and  daughters  of  our  civilization. 
Down  all  the  paths  of  the  world  and  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth  they  march.  They  carry 
healing  in  their  hands ;  upon  their  lips  are  the 
words  of  the  gospel  of  good  news,  and  shining 
from  their  eyes  is  the  flame  of  this  inner  urge, 
the  beacon  of  the  great  “  I  must.”  That  we 
might  have  the  life  more  abundant,  that  we 
might  live  forever,  Jesus  came,  and  that  this 
abundant  life  may  become  the  possession  of 
all  who  wait  in  darkness  these  go  forth  who 
follow  in  His  train. 

Out  of  the  universal  and  all-inclusive  propa¬ 
ganda  of  the  Christian  church,  this  pro¬ 
gramme  of  faith  and  of  works,  has  come  the 
new  application  of  the  brotherhood  message 
of  Jesus,  which  is  slowly  but  surely  creating 
a  new  and  Christian  social  order.  We  are  no 
longer  satisfied  with  ourselves  when  we  are 


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27 


Christians  merely  in  our  mental  assents,  in 
our  personal  knowledge  of  the  authority  of 
Jesus  over  our  individual  lives.  We  see  that 
all  men  are  bound  together,  that  it  is  impos¬ 
sible  for  any  man  to  live  alone,  and  that  no 
man  has  the  right  to  enjoy  peace  at  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  another  or  prosperity  in  silence  while 
others  less  fortunate  are  impoverished  or 
suffer  injustice. 

The  application  of  the  gospel  that  Jesus 
preached  and  was,  to  all  human  relationships, 
is  the  business  of  the  Father,  the  business  that 
His  sons  and  daughters  must  be  steadfastly 
about.  Here  is  the  way  out  for  those  who 
despair  of  a  final  solution  of  the  grave  indus¬ 
trial  questions  that  divide  capital  and  labour 
in  practically  every  department  of  our  eco¬ 
nomic  order.  Commissions  and  boards,  con¬ 
ferences  and  injunctions,  are  as  impotent  as 
strikes  and  lockouts  unless  made  dynamic 
with  the  spirit,  “  Love  thy  neighbour  as 
thyself.  ’  ’ 

On  the  other  hand,  an  application  of  the 
Golden  Rule  to  any  modern  problem  of  social 
or  industrial  adjustment  has  never  failed; 
those  who  deny  and  reject  Christianity  be¬ 
cause  poverty  and  wealth  exist  side  by  side, 
because  of  man’s  inhumanity  to  man,  and  be¬ 
cause  wars  continue  nineteen  hundred  years 
after  Calvary,  speak  without  the  facts.  To 


28 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


the  shame  of  us  all,  and  in  condemnation  of 
our  divisions  and  sectarian  pride,  our  with¬ 
holding  of  sacred  funds,  and  our  lack  of  faith, 
let  it  be  said,  “  Christianity  has  not  been 
tried.’ ’  Passion  and  mailed  might  have  been 
tried;  secret  diplomacy  and  the  balance  of 
power  have  been  tried;  a  form  of  godliness 
has  been  tried;  but  the  while  children  have 
cried  for  alms  at  the  doors  of  cathedrals 
through  which  congregations  passed,  ermine- 
clad,  prayers  have  blessed  cannon  that  levelled 
peaceful  villages,  and  armies  have  gone  forth 
from  communion  to  conflict.  The  generations 
of  man  have  followed  many  trails  that  prom¬ 
ised  much,  but  led  only  to  disaster.  They 
have  tried  every  other  way  than  the  way  of 
Him  who  stands  upon  the  battlements  of 
Heaven,  and  calls  down  to  us  as  He  cried  to 
unheeding  Jerusalem  two  thousand  years  ago, 
“  I  am  the  way.”  If  we  would  find  life,  life 
abundant,  life  eternal,  we  must  follow  Him. 

The  hope  of  disarmament  conferences  is 
not  in  prime  ministers  nor  in  naval  experts. 
Their  hope  is  in  the  Prince  of  Peace  Himself. 
He  dares  us  to  trust  not  in  ships  of  the  line, 
nor  in  the  latest  tortures  science  may  devise, 
but  to  follow  Him,  to  declare  our  peaceful  in¬ 
tentions  as  vigorously  as  we  have  announced 
our  warlike  ones,  to  invoke  a  new  diplomacy, 
the  diplomacy  of  faith. 


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29 


Civilization  is  spending  to-day  more  than 
ninety  per  cent  of  all  her  revenues  on  wars 
past  and  anticipated, — ninety  per  cent  of  all 
her  revenues  for  self-destruction.  Only  by  a 
radical  programme  of  disarmament  can  the 
world  escape  bankruptcy;  only  by  the  scrap¬ 
ping  of  vast  fleets  can  taxation  burdens  that 
have  already  brought  some  countries  to 
abysses  of  anarchy,  and  that  in  the  most 
stable  lands  promote  unrest  and  serious  dis¬ 
order,  be  lifted  from  the  people.  The  mailed 
fist  has  smashed  one  tyrant  and  raised  an¬ 
other.  His  master  has  laid  on  man  physical 
and  spiritual  burdens  too  great  to  be  borne, 
burdens  that  bow  his  body  and  break  his  soul, 
burdens  that  threaten  his  life. 

And  all  of  these  problems,  whether  they 
have  to  do  with  the  hours  of  labour,  the  place 
of  woman  in  toil,  the  right  of  the  child  to  be 
well-born  and  properly  nourished,  the  demo¬ 
cratizing  of  industry,  the  internationalizing 
of  justice,  the  application  of  the  moral  code  to 
social  relationships  as  well  as  to  individual 
action  and  the  evangelization  of  the  world,  are 
one  and  the  same  business,  the  business  that 
made  life  for  Jesus  a  burning  trail  of  service, 
the  business  of  the  Father,  the  business  of 
perfecting  man. 

This  is  my  business  to-day.  Yes,  mine; 
whatever  may  be  my  avocation,  this  is  my 


30 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


vocation;  whatever  my  profession,  this  is  my 
calling,  this  is  my  reason  for  being,  this  is  my 
life.  I  am  the  junior  member  of  a  divine 
partnership. 

As  a  lad  I  knew  a  farmer  who  when  I  be¬ 
came  acquainted  with  him  was  seventy  years 
young.  Happy  summers  I  spent  in  his  fields 
and  under  the  trees  growing  upon  his  broad 
acres.  He  taught  me  many  useful  things, 
things  that  I  appreciate  more  now  than  I  did 
then.  One  afternoon  he  introduced  me  to  a 
great  wood-pile,  and  left  me,  axe  in  hand,  to 
solve  the  knotty  problem.  Hopelessly  I  strug¬ 
gled  on;  miserably  I  failed.  Twists  and 
gnarls  there  were  in  every  stick,  and  I  did 
not  know  how  to  split  wood.  But  Father 
Moore,  not  old  Father  Moore,  young  Father 
Moore,  came  to  me  again,  and,  smiling  upon 
me  in  my  defeat,  said,  “  Give  me  the  axe.” 
With  it  in  his  hand  he  deftly  turned  a  chunk 
on  end ;  swung  the  shining  steel  high  above  his 
head,  and  brought  it  down  squarely  upon  the 
centre  of  the  knot.  As  the  halves  fell  away 
from  the  blade,  I  heard  him  say,  “  That’s  the 
way  to  split  a  knot.” 

I  have  had  a  few  hard  knots  to  split  since 
that  day  on  the  Oregon  farm;  and,  whenever 
I  have  seemed  to  be  insufficient  for  some  per¬ 
plexing  task,  I  have  felt  Farmer  Moore  stand¬ 
ing  by,  and  I  have  heard  him  say,  “  That’s 


GET  UP  AND  GO  ON 


31 


the  way  to  split  a  knot.”  Farmer  Moore  was 
in  business  with  his  King;  he  followed  his 
plough  down  the  shining  furrow  for  his 
King. 

Across  the  street  from  the  corner  where  a 
few  years  ago  I  sold  newspapers  was  the 
stand  of  a  shabby  old  truckman.  Eighty 
years  had  crumpled  his  shoulders  and  twisted 
his  limbs  when  I  knew  him  first,  and  his  horse 
and  his  wagon  blended  perfectly  into  the  pic¬ 
ture.  But  he  was  more  than  a  truckman.  The 
lads  of  the  street  all  knew  him;  he  was  a 
friend  of  the  bootblack;  and  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  his  smile  had  made  a  rainbow  in  the 
sky  for  girls  hurrying  to  the  factory  and  shop. 
He  was  more  than  a  truckman.  He  was  of  a 
great  partnership;  and,  when  we  missed  him 
on  the  corner,  we  wept ;  and,  when  they  bore 
his  old  body  away,  the  city  followed  to  the 
grave  on  the  hillside  as  cities  in  mourning 
have  followed  the  hearse  of  a  ruler. 

I  met  “  Brigton  ”  at  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Student 
Conference.  We  were  both  Juniors,  and  we 
both  became  Student  Volunteers.  I  do  not  re¬ 
member  his  physical  characteristics  very  well ; 
he  was  not  a  man  of  the  sort  that  deeply  im¬ 
presses  another  at  the  first  meeting.  I  do  re¬ 
call  that  he  wore  glasses  and  was  thin-chested, 
and  I  remember  that  he  talked  a  great  deal 
about  China. 


32 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


When  he  returned  to  his  college  in  Mon¬ 
tana,  he  wrote  me  a  letter  and  I  replied.  Once 
afterwards  I  heard  from  him,  and  this  was 
the  quietly  worded  last  paragraph  of  his  sec¬ 
ond  epistle:  “Well,  it’s  all  off.  I’m  not 
going.  The  doctors  say  that  the  4  bugs  ’  have 
bitten  me  deeply.  I’m  not  going  to  China, 
and  I  haven’t  any  more  time  to  spend  in  col¬ 
lege.  I’ll  write  you  from  Boise,  when  I’m  set¬ 
tled.  There’s  a  piece  of  work  that  a  fading 
lunger  can  do  there  in  a  hurry.  I’ll  be  pray¬ 
ing  for  you  as  usual.  Gliick  auf.” 

I  did  not  hear  directly  from  him  again,  but 
it  was  a  great  “  piece  of  work  ”  that  he  did 
in  Boise,  and  “  in  a  hurry.”  He  met  nightly 
for  an  hour  with  seven  young  Chinamen,  and 
taught  them  the  English  language.  The  text¬ 
book  that  he  insisted  upon  using  was  the  Gos¬ 
pel  of  John.  The  last  evening  that  he  spent 
with  his  class  he  lay  upon  the  shabby  old 
couch,  propped  up  with  pillows,  and  read  the 
wonderful  verses  that  tell  of  the  Light  of  the 
world. 

Brigton  did  not  go  to  China.  China  came 
to  Brigton,  and  before  the  brave  lad  died 
seven  men  who  had  come  to  America  aliens 
and  strangers  were  citizens.  He  was  more 
than  a  “  lunger.”  He  was  the  junior  mem¬ 
ber  of  a  great  partnership. 

One  evening  in  Mansfield,  Ohio,  William 


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33 


McKinley,  then  governor  of  the  state,  deliv¬ 
ered  an  address  to  a  gathering  of  young  men. 
Finishing  his  speech,  he  turned  and  sat  down. 
Then  suddenly,  as  though  he  had  forgotten 
something,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  came 
forward.  In  a  voice  that  shook  with  great 
emotion,  he  said : 

“  Young  men,  there  are  many  things  in  my 
life  for  which  I  must  apologize.  I  have  done 
many  things  that  I  wish  were  undone;  but, 
young  men,  there  is  one  thing  for  which  I  need 
never  apologize,  one  thing  I  shall  never  re¬ 
gret;  I  am  a  Christian.” 

William  McKinley  that  night  was  more 
than  a  governor.  He  was  a  partner. 

The  King’s  business  is  my  business,  my 
business  whatever  I  am  and  wherever  I  am, 
provided  I  am  true.  I  am  a  partner  in  the 
supreme  undertaking  of  the  ages,  in  the  plan 
of  God  for  the  perfecting  of  man. 

"  We  are  not  here  to  play,  to  dream,  to  drift, 

We  have  hard  work  to  do,  and  loads  to  lift. 

Shun  not  the  struggle;  face  it.  ’Tis  God’s  gift. 

Be  strong.” 

Get  up  and  go  on ! 


Ill 

THE  MIGHT  OF  RIGHT 


“"O  IGHTEOUSNBSS  exalteth  a  na¬ 
il^  tion  ” — In  the  practice  of  govern- 
JL  ments,  in  the  handbooks  of  tradi¬ 
tional  statesmanship,  this  is  not  often  found. 
Rather  do  we  read,  and  as  we  study  history 
do  we  find  demonstrated,  “  Armaments  and 
fleets,  secret  diplomacy,  and  balance  of  power 
alliances,  selfishness  and  fear,  fortified  by 
physical  power, — these  protect  a  nation  from 
her  foes,  and  give  her  position  and  authority 
over  them.” 

The  great  empire  of  Central  Europe  built 
her  military  organization  upon  the  founda¬ 
tions  of  a  philosophy  that  had  as  she  believed, 
and  as  the  rest  of  the  world  generally  ad¬ 
mitted,  made  her,  humanly  speaking,  the  most 
efficient  people  of  all  time.  Her  publicists  and 
statesmen,  not  without  some  opposition  to  be 
sure,  but  with  the  preponderance  of  public 
opinion  indifferent  when  not  supporting  them, 
taught  that  might  was  the  ultimate  authority ; 
that  weakness  in  others  was  an  opportunity 
to  be  taken  selfishly ;  that  honesty  and  charity, 

34 


THE  MIGHT  OF  RIGHT 


35 


generosity  and  good  faith,  were  attributes  of 
weakness  if  ever  they  stood  in  the  way  of 
physical  triumph  and  larger  power. 

But  how  quickly  the  super-building  of  this 
false  and  violent  creed  was  battered  down! 
In  other  times,  centuries  often  elapsed  before 
truth  finally  prevailed,  but  within  five  years, 
five  ghastly  years  that  to  this  generation 
seemed  unending  to  be  sure,  the  gray  flood 
that  engulfed  Belgium  was  stayed,  rolled 
back,  overwhelmed,  and  the  ruthless  ambi¬ 
tions  that  rode  so  haughtily  upon  it  were  left 
stranded  in  poverty  and  shame. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  physical  weakness  of 
Belgium  became  her  strength.  After  42  centi¬ 
meter  guns  had  demolished  Liege  and  the  in¬ 
vader  with  a  dishonoured  treaty  as  a  faggot 
had  fired  Louvain,  Albert’s  fortunes  were  more 
secure  than  they  would  have  been  had  his  de¬ 
fences  been  able  to  withstand  the  attack.  The 
world  rose  to  support  his  cause.  His  people 
took  on  a  mood  of  exaltation  that  knew  no 
final  despair,  that  recognized  no  defeat,  and 
that  was  the  very  psychology  of  victory. 
They  with  all  their  allies  came  to  feel  the 
great  dynamic  of  Galahad’s  consecration  and 
avowal,  “  My  strength  is  as  the  strength  of 
ten,  because  my  heart  is  pure.” 

Our  own  national  history  has  again  and 
again  demonstrated  this  elementary  principle 


86 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


in  human  relationships.  It  was  righteousness 
that  lifted  the  Colonists  out  of  bondage  in  the 
Revolution.  One  cannot  escape  the  conviction 
that  Washington  would  have  led  a  forlorn 
hope  to  disaster,  and  that  he  himself  would 
have  ended  on  the  gallows  instead  of  “  first 
in  war,  first  in  peace,  first  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen,  ’  ’  had  he  not  been  the  captain  of 
a  cause  that  marched  and  fought  and  sacri¬ 
ficed  with  truth  eternal. 

It  was  righteousness  that  saved  the  Union, 
— not  the  weight  of  metal  hurled  upon  the 
Southern  heroes  at  Gettysburg  and  Appomat¬ 
tox,  not  the  overwhelming  numbers  that  finally 
rallied  to  the  military  genius  of  Grant;  not 
the  virtue  and  strength  of  the  North  over  the 
South,  but  the  righteousness  that  exalteth  a 
nation. 

There  is  comfort  and  authority  in  history 
for  those  who  welcomed  the  action  of  the 
United  States  Senate  in  ratifying  the  treaties 
negotiated  by  the  American  representatives 
at  the  Washington  Conference.  No  cunningly 
devised  panic  of  fear,  no  propaganda  of  sus¬ 
picion  against  those  with  whom  the  agree¬ 
ments  were  made,  could  blind  those  who  have 
read  the  record  of  human  events,  and  who 
trust  in  God,  to  the  fact  that  a  nation’s  se¬ 
curity,  her  safety,  her  strength,  depends  not 
upon  the  good  faith  of  others  so  much  as  it 


THE  MIGHT  OF  RIGHT 


37 


does  upon  her  own  morality.  Neither  entan¬ 
gling  alliances,  nor  arrogant  isolation,  make  a 
nation  great.  Her  greatness  and  her  security 
lie  within  herself,  and  in  these  times  of  quick 
communication  and  immediate  world  contacts, 
retribution,  always  inevitable  for  those  who 
break  the  faith,  who  exploit  confidence,  is 
swift  as  well  as  terrible.  Another  has  said, 
“  A  nation’s  greatness  resides  not  in  her  na¬ 
tional  resources,  but  in  her  will,  her  faith,  her 
intelligence,  her  moral  forces.” 

This  exalting  righteousness  is  not  optional; 
it  is  required,  and  for  those  who  deny  or 
evade,  there  is  punishment  as  well  as  con¬ 
demnation.  The  Ten  Commandments  relate 
to  nations  as  well  as  to  individuals,  for  they 
are  based  upon  and  they  define  eternal  and 
all-embracing  principles.  We  are  learning, 
slowly  to  be  sure,  but  we  are  surely  learning, 
that  that  which  is  wrong  in  the  individual  is 
wrong  in  society.  To-day  we  see  nations  mak¬ 
ing  war  upon  each  other  for  reasons  which 
would  not  justify  individual  men  in  fighting  a 
duel.  And  as  duelling  has  been  forced  almost 
everywhere  from  the  practice  of  civilized 
men,  so  war  must  be  disgraced  and  outlawed. 
If  an  individual  may  not  cut  his  neighbour’s 
throat  out  of  revenge,  without  being  sought 
out  and  punished  as  a  criminal,  there  is  noth¬ 
ing  to  support  the  contention  of  a  government 


38 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


that  it  has  the  right  to  destroy  thousands  of 
people  for  no  better  reason,  with  no  better 
motive.  I  believe  that  the  time  is  near  at 
hand  when  governments  will  unite  to  disci¬ 
pline  murder  and  theft  on  an  international 
scale,  even  as  individuals  have  already  united 
to  destroy  it  in  smaller  social  units.  If  selfish¬ 
ness  and  avarice,  duplicity  and  cruelty,  are 
not  commendable  in  individuals,  they  cannot 
be  virtues  when  practiced  collectively  by  ten 
million,  or  by  a  hundred  million  people. 

And  let  us  be  even  more  direct  and  con¬ 
clusive  in  our  application  of  this  principle. 
As  it  is  true  of  the  individual,  so  it  is  true, 
equally  true,  of  the  state.  Except  a  man  be¬ 
lieve  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  cannot 
be  saved,  and  except  nations  believe,  believe 
positively,  constructively,  actively,  in  the 
truths  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  the  greatest 
teacher  of  ethics,  the  supreme  preacher  of 
righteousness,  then  they  are  doomed  to  be  one 
with  Nineveh  and  Tyre.  And  as  has  already 
been  indicated,  Fate  seems  less  patient  now 
than  in  former  times,  and  judgment  more 
swift. 

Yes,  it  is  righteousness  that  exalteth  a  na¬ 
tion  ;  not  art,  not  libraries,  not  games, — it  lies 
in  practicing  the  great  virtues — purity,  jus¬ 
tice,  unselfishness,  faith.  It  stands  upon  char¬ 
acter.  No  measure  of  brilliancy  in  states- 


THE  MIGHT  OF  RIGHT 


39 


mansliip  for  debauching  the  minds  of  the 
people,  with  concepts  of  brutal  and  selfish 
nationalism,  for  introducing  ideas  and  sanc¬ 
tioning  habits,  that  are  morally  unsound  and 
corrupting,  have  ever  made  a  nation  great. 
The  lessons  written  upon  the  blackboard  of 
the  schoolroom  of  human  progress,  by  the 
classes  of  Greece  and  Rome,  that  never  grad¬ 
uated,  should  not  be  lost  upon  peoples  who  are 
just  beginning.  The  ruins  of  the  Coliseum 
and  the  Parthenon  are  more  than  crumbling 
granite  and  marble — they  are  monuments  of 
civilizations  that  became  decadent  through 
practicing  great  vices  rather  than  great 
virtues. 

There  are  disquieting  symptoms  manifest¬ 
ing  themselves  in  our  civic  life  to-day;  symp¬ 
toms  that  none  of  us  can  afford  to  ignore. 
The  ease  with  which  otherwise  respectable 
men  silence  their  consciences  after  violating 
certain  laws  they  do  not  choose  to  respect,  is 
not  a  healthy  sign.  It  threatens  disaster, — 
disaster  for  all  law,  and  for  the  life  and  prop¬ 
erty  of  us  all. 

If  righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,  the  man 
who  produces  an  unclean  play,  who  pollutes 
the  American  stage  with  foul  or  suggestive 
spectacles,  is  a  traitor  to  his  country,  driving 
at  her  very  heart,  and  for  a  price  as  mean  as 
that  which  purchased  Judas. 


40 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


And  let  the  same  judgment  be  upon  the 
head  of  the  promoter  of  the  lecherous  modern 
dance  which  drags  its  slimy  body  through  the 
doorway  of  our  hotels  and  schools,  too  often 
our  homes,  and,  God  pity  us,  sometimes  our 
churches.  Recently  I  received  a  letter  from 
a  splendid  young  woman  who  said  in  effect 
this:  “  The  girls  of  my  acquaintance  begin  to 
face  a  dilemma, — unless  we  are  willing  to 
dance  the  extreme  dances,  we  might  as  well  be 
ignorant  of  dancing  altogether ;  for  the  dances 
we  have  felt  were  beautiful  and  modest,  are 
no  longer  popular  or  accep table.’ ’ 

The  United  States  is  suffering  to-day  from 
moral  epidemics  of  all  kinds  that  spring  from 
the  germ  of  “  get  something,  get  much,  get 
rich,  get  all,  for  no  thing.’ ’  Those  who  become 
inoculated  may  be  suave  or  boisterous;  re¬ 
fined  or  violent,  but  they  are  alike  evil.  It  is 
high  time  that  we  call  a  halt — call  it  by  first 
checking  up  on  ourselves,  by  setting  our  own 
houses  and  our  own  lives  in  order;  reforma¬ 
tion  as  well  as  charity,  should  begin  at  home, 
and  I  may  say  that  it  is  well  for  criticisms  to 
begin  there. 

Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,  and  only 
in  righteousness  do  nations  perfect  their 
greatness  and  survive.  The  empire  of  the 
Caesars  did  not  perish  because  she  lacked  a 
fleet  and  failed  to  raise  an  army,  or  because 


THE  MIGHT  OF  RIGHT 


41 


her  treasury  was  empty,  or  because  her  allies 
proved  faithless,  or  because  her  conquered 
enemies  failed  to  pay  their  treaty  levies,  or 
because  her  natural  resources  were  exhausted. 
“  The  Eternal  City  ”  fell  because  she  became 
corrupt  and  evil  in  her  heart.  We  should  not 
fear  to-day  a  possible  foe  that  may  embark 
from  distant  shores  to  do  us  hurt.  Bather  we 
should  fear  dry  rot  from  within  and  the  worm 
of  degeneracy  that  burrows  its  way  into  a  na¬ 
tion’s  vitals  and  leaves  it  at  last  but  an  empty 
shell,  that  crumples  in  a  weakling’s  hands. 

But  turn  the  canvas  and  paint  the  picture 
of  the  fruits  of  righteousness, — have  we 
not  found  them  in  rich  abundance,  temporal 
wealth  and  physical  and  spiritual  well-being? 
The  glow  from  the  ruddy  cheeks  of  the  virtu¬ 
ous  Pilgrim  has  tinted  all  our  hills  with 
healthful  light.  We  turn  away  from  his  aus¬ 
terity  to-day,  but  from  his  loins  and  from  the 
loins  of  those  who  practiced  his  virtues, 
sprang  a  race  free  from  the  social  diseases 
that  were  at  the  bottom  of  practically  every 
great  national  failure  of  that  corrupt  time  in 
which  he  set  sail  upon  the  uncharted  seas  of 
religious  tolerance  and  political  democracy;  a 
race  able  to  conquer  continents,  and  worthy  to 
inherit  the  fruitful  and  unspoiled  wilder¬ 
ness. 

Righteousness  is  the  foundation  of  educated 


42 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


intelligence,  of  intellectual  energy  and  vigour, 
and  for  commercial  enterprise,  for  success  on 
land  and  sea.  Righteousness  is  the  secret  of 
all  moral  and  spiritual  advancement.  The 
liberation  of  the  slave;  the  elimination  of  the 
lottery;  the  ostracism  of  duelling;  the  achiev¬ 
ing  of  Prohibition,  the  emancipation  of 
woman,  and  the  unshackling  of  the  child 
labourer,  are  not  accidents,  nor  are  they  in 
the  last  analysis  the  fruits  of  the  labours  of 
consecrated  agitators  and  reformers.  They 
are  points  of  progress  in  the  way  of  truth. 
America  could  not  have  gone  forward  without 
reaching  them,  could  not  have  reached  her 
present  proud  position  without  passing  them, 
and  let  us  not  forget  that 

“  They  must  upward  still  and  onward. 

Who  would  keep  abreast  of  truth.” 

Upon  righteousness  rests  our  influence 
among  the  nations.  Our  wealth  they  will 
envy;  our  power  they  will  suspicion  and  dis¬ 
pute;  our  justice,  our  unselfishness,  our  hu¬ 
manity  they  will  come  to  trust.  The  confi¬ 
dence  with  which  China  turned  to  us,  and  the 
faith  in  which  Armenia  called  upon  us,  were 
among  the  finest  tributes  ever  paid  to  the  in¬ 
tegrity  of  a  people.  Tragedy  of  tragedies, 
that  Armenia  should  have  been  so  sadly  dis¬ 
appointed  ! 


THE  MIGHT  OF  RIGHT 


43 


More  and  more  we  are  coming  to  see  that 
in  the  idealism  with  which  we  addressed  our¬ 
selves  to  the  tasks  of  the  great  war,  and  the 
troubled  peace  which  followed,  we  made  our 
crowning  and  the  deciding  contribution  to  the 
cause  of  human  liberty  which  was  staggering 
toward  catastrophe. 

Upon  a  nation’s  righteousness  rests  the 
favour  of  God  without  which  no  people  may 
hope  to  permanently  prosper.  Do  you  recall 
the  lament  of  the  Psalmist,  “  0  that  my  peo¬ 
ple  had  harkened  unto  me,  and  Israel  had 
walked  in  my  ways.  I  should  have  soon  sub¬ 
dued  their  enemies  and  turned  my  hand 
against  their  adversaries.  I  should  have  fed 
them  also  with  the  finest  of  the  wheat  and 
with  honey  out  of  the  rock  should  I  have 
satisfied  them.” 

The  personal  application  of  the  lesson  is 
just  as  searching  as  is  its  national  applica¬ 
tion,  and  we  would  fail  of  a  large  part  of  its 
ministry  were  we  to  ignore  it  or  not  to  em¬ 
phasize  it.  Righteousness,  truth,  exalts  and 
perfects  the  individual.  It  is  an  absolute 
grace,  not  subject  to  my  opinion  or  yours. 
Men  may  be  honestly  wrong,  and  true  men 
may  err,  as  Lee  and  Jackson  possibly  did  in 
espousing  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy. 
But  who  will  deny  that  purer  flames  than 
these  have  ever  burned  upon  the  altars  of  any 


44 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


cause  ?  But  the  right  itself  will  prevail.  Right 
is  absolute,  and  “  there  is  no  progress  in 
fundamental  truth ;  we  may  grow  and  must  in 
knowledge  of  its  meaning,  and  in  the  modes 
of  its  application,  but  its  great  principles  will 
be  forever  the  same.” 

One  of  the  world’s  mighty  quests  is  this 
quest  of  man  for  truth, — truth  wherever  it  may 
be  found,  not  my  theory  of  it,  but  truth  itself, 
and  each  generation  has  its  assigned  task  and 
each  individual  his  assigned  place  in  the  ever- 
forward  marching  columns  of  its  adventurers. 
Stopford  Brooke  wrote,  “  If  a  thousand  old 
beliefs  are  ruined  in  our  march  to  truth,  we 
must  still  march  on.”  The  Indian  who  bows 
before  his  gods  of  wood  and  stone  as  bowed 
his  fathers  for  a  thousand  years,  must  rise  to 
greet  the  sun  of  righteousness.  It  is  truth, 
and  truth  only  that  sets  free.  Evil  binds  and 
error  forges  all  the  chains  that  shackle  man. 

The  greatest  friend  of  righteousness  is 
time.  Wrong,  which  at  any  moment  may  be 
detected  and  published,  must  hasten,  must 
hurry  to  accomplish  a  favourable  conclusion 
before  its  falsehood  is  revealed.  Righteous¬ 
ness  can  afford  to  be  calm  and  serene,  un¬ 
moved  when  its  enemies  seem  to  prevail 
against  it,  for  its  final  judgment  comes  from 
on  high  and  it  has  eternity  in  which  to  be 
vindicated. 


THE  MIGHT  OF  RIGHT 


45 


The  greatest  enemies  of  absolute  right  are 
prejudice,  fear,  and  selfishness,  but  even  these 
finally  succumb,  for  as  Shaftesbury  once  said, 
“  Truth  is  the  most  powerful  thing  in  the 
world.  ’  ’ 

But  what  of  those  circumstances  when  the 
separating  lines  of  right  and  wrong  are  so 
closely  drawn  that  transparently  honest  men 
cannot  for  the  moment  find  their  bearings? 
We  have  all  been  in  just  such  situations.  An¬ 
other  has  said,  4  4  Always  do  the  truth  you 
know,  and  you  shall  surely  learn  the  truth  you 
need  to  know.”  Follow  the  light  that  you 
have;  honestly  strive  after  the  right  decision, 
move  forward.  It  is  not  the  righteousness 
that  we  fail  to  do,  through  not  being  able  to 
recognize  it,  that  demoralizes  you;  it  is  the 
truth  we  know  and  neglect,  or  refuse  to  per¬ 
form,  that  condemns  us.  “  It  is  always  peril¬ 
ous  to  separate  thinking  rightly  from  acting 
rightly.’ ’  “  To  him  that  knoweth  to  do  good, 
and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin.” 

As  to  the  danger  of  glorifying  our  own 
standards,  of  mistaking  our  own  preconceived 
notions  and  superficial  opinions,  for  the  truth 
itself,  it  is  well  to  remember  Richter’s  ob¬ 
servation:  “  According  to  Democritus,  truth 
is  at  the  bottom  of  a  well,  the  waters  of  which 
serve  as  a  mirror  in  which  objects  may  be  re¬ 
flected.  I  have  heard,  however,  that  some 


46 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


philosophers  in  seeking  for  truth  to  pay  hom¬ 
age  to  it,  have  seen  their  own  image  and 
adored  that,  instead.” 

But  what  the  world  needs  to-day  is  not  a 
new  standard  of  ethics,  or  a  new  philosophy 
of  righteousness.  Men  know  enough  to  eman¬ 
cipate  them  physically,  mentally  and  spirit¬ 
ually,  to  set  them  free  absolutely  and  every¬ 
where.  It  is  the  supreme  weakness  of  our 
twentieth  century  civilization  that  society  is 
the  custodian  of  entirely  too  much  unapplied, 
undemonstrated  knowledge.  Too  much  virtue 
which  is  known  and  applauded  by  many,  is 
practiced  by  few.  What  men  and  women 
need,  what  the  world  needs  to-day,  needs  su¬ 
premely,  is  the  will,  the  disposition  and  the 
power  to  do  righteousness.  But  where  is  this 
power,  this  dynamic  for  life,  this  grace  to 
conquer? 

I  know  of  only  one  answer  to  that  question, 
there  is  only  one.  It  is  suggested  by  an  old 
song  that  I  heard  first  as  a  boy  when  the  little 
church  of  the  village  called  “  sinners  to  re¬ 
pentance,”  and  believers  to  a  reaffirmation  of 
their  vows.  For  me  it  always  comes,  laden 
with  the  heavy  fragrance  of  the  balsams  and 
the  scent  of  the  firs;  there  is  about  it  the  sug¬ 
gestion  of  wild  flowers  that  bloom  in  the  sun- 
mottled  shadows  of  great  forests  when  spring 
returns,  and  as  now  I  seem  to  hear  its  words 


THE  MIGHT  OF  RIGHT 


47 


again,  I  see  dear  faces  and  loved  forms,  and 
feel  the  spell  of  days  forever  past,  but  forever 
near,  when  faith  first  came  to  build  an  altar 
in  my  heart. 

“What  can  wash  away  my  sin? 

Nothing  but  the  blood  of  Jesus. 

What  can  make  me  whole  again? 

Nothing  but  the  blood  of  Jesus.” 

O  precious  is  the  flow 

That  makes  me  white  as  snow. 

No  other  fount  I  know, 

Nothing  but  the  blood  of  Jesus.” 


IV 

THE  PATIENCE  OF  THE  STRONG 


IIFE  is  a  race,  a  distance  event;  but  we 
run  it  at  the  speed  of  a  sprint.  The 
— *  figure  employed  by  the  apostle  Paul 
is  particularly  striking  and  appropriate  in  a 
day  when  men  rush  ahead  with  little  consid¬ 
eration  for  their  bodies,  their  minds,  or  their 
souls.  ‘ ‘  Therefore,’ ’  he  says,  “  let  us  also, 
seeing  we  are  compassed  about  with  so  great 
a  cloud  of  witnesses,  lay  aside  every  weight, 
and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset  us,  and 
let  us  run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set 
before  us.” 

But  Paul  was  not  even  implying  approval 
of  a  thoughtless  and  headlong  pace.  In  fact, 
he  placed  his  first  emphasis  upon  considera¬ 
tion  and  preparation.  To  run  well  an  athlete 
must  be  in  condition  and  trained,  and  so  for 
the  contest  of  life  the  apostle  calls  upon  the 
Christians  of  his  time  and  upon  us  all  to  “  lay 
aside  every  weight  and  the  sin  that  doth  so 
easily  beset  us.” 

Hippocrates  and  other  scholars  translate 
the  “  weight  ”  of  Paul’s  challenge  to  mean 

48 


THE  PATIENCE  OF  THE  STRONG  49 


obesity.  If  we  accept  this  rendering,  we  have 
a  perfect  figure,  carrying  the  picture  of  a 
runner  training  clown  to  form,  reducing  his 
weight,  throwing  off  his  superfluous,  hinder¬ 
ing  flesh,  preparing  himself  for  a  supreme 
ordeal,  fitting  himself  to  do  his  utmost. 

And  so  in  this  race  of  life  I  am  called  upon 
to  get  down  to  weight,  to  remove  from  my  life 
the  things  that  shear  me  of  power,  that  slow 
me  up  and  make  me  less  than  the  best  I  am 
capable  of  being.  The  application  is  exceed¬ 
ingly  personal;  for  the  most  intimate  weak¬ 
ness,  the  “  sin  that  doth  so  easily  beset  us,” 
is  singled  out  just  as  a  trainer  would  lay  his 
hand  first  upon  the  peculiar  dissipation  or  in¬ 
dulgence  of  a  man  in  his  hands  for  condi¬ 
tioning. 

Some  time  since  I  had  a  man  do  some  up¬ 
holstering  for  me;  certain  chairs  had  given 
way  under  the  continued  assaults  of  a  young 
army.  The  chap  was  a  splendid  workman 
when  not  weighed  down,  or  perhaps  I  should 
say,  “  loaded  up  ”;  but  he  was  so  hopelessly 
loaded  as  a  rule  that  we  gave  him  up.  Re¬ 
cently  our  attention  was  called  to  him  again. 
As  the  result  of  much-maligned  prohibition 
he  has  been  able  to  lift  himself  from  the  sin 
that  did  so  easily  beset,  and  now  he  is  mend¬ 
ing  rockers  and  davenports  to  the  delight  of 
many  village  householders.  He  is  running 


50 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


a  much  better  race.  Lay  aside  every  weight, 
beginning  of  course  with  the  so  easily  beset¬ 
ting  sin,  and  get  into  the  contest  of  life  to  run 
the  best  race  that  you  are  capable  of. 

Every  man  who  runs  this  race  of  life  must 
observe  and  honour  the  rules  of  the  course  if 
he  would  run  well  and  secure  the  approbation 
of  the  judge.  Don’t  get  away  before  the  sig¬ 
nal;  don’t  “  pull  the  gun  ” ;  and  keep  in  your 
lane.  There  is  too  much  crowding  of  the 
other  fellow,  cutting  across,  and  shouldering. 
Nothing  should  disqualify  a  man  more  quickly 
than  so  to  run  as  to  place  an  unfair  and  mean 
handicap  upon  those  who  run  with  him.  Re¬ 
member  you  are  running  not  against  men,  but 
with  them;  do  not  sprint  along  as  though  you 
were  alone;  this  is  a  team  race;  you  have  no 
other  man  to  defeat;  this  is  a  team  race 
against  time  and  the  odds  of  evil  and  for  the 
glory  of  a  prize. 

You  run  before  a  mighty  assembly.  The 
stands  are  crowded.  There  have  been  many 
disputes  in  athletic  circles  as  to  the  value  of 
cheering  sections.  Some  hold  that  teams  be¬ 
come  utterly  oblivious  of  their  partisans,  and 
have  no  consciousness  at  all  of  the  howling 
well-wishers  of  their  foes.  Whatever  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  spectators  may  be  after  time  is 
called,  certainly  the  knowledge  that  a  multi¬ 
tude  will  be  looking  on  kindles  the  spirits  of 


THE  PATIENCE  OF  THE  STRONG  51 


athletes  as  they  contemplate  the  approaching 
struggle.  Some  of  us  still  remember  the  inde¬ 
scribable  thrill  that  sweeps  over  a  runner  or 
through  a  team  as  the  stands,  ablaze  with 
partisan  colours,  tremble  beneath  the  thun¬ 
derous  shouts  of  sympathizers. 

There  is  in  my  soul  a  sensation  akin  to  the 
sensations  on  an  athletic  field  as  I  realize  that 
this  race  of  life,  this  at  times  heart-breaking 
struggle  to  overcome  the  odds  of  the  “  flesh 
and  the  devil,  ’  ’  is  beheld  by  that  vast  company 
of  men  and  women  and  children  who  have  al¬ 
ready  overcome,  that  vast  cloud  of  witnesses, 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect. 

Some  time  since  a  gentleman,  in  speaking 
of  a  talented  and  attractive  young  girl,  whose 
father  died  when  she  was  very  small,  said, 
“  How  proud  her  father  would  be  if  he  could 
see  her  now!  ”  And  all  of  us  under  similar 
circumstances  have  had  similar  thoughts. 
Well,  her  father  is  no  doubt  numbered  in  that 
“  great  cloud  of  witnesses.’ 1 

The  runner  of  this  race  of  life  runs  for  a 
prize,  not  a  ribbon  nor  a  medal,  and  how  men 
have  valued  such  trinkets!  How  they  have 
kindled  their  jaded  enthusiasms  by  returning 
to  the  ovals  upon  which  they  were  won !  How 
they  have  gloried  in  sons  who  followed  in 
their  footsteps!  But  it  is  for  no  ribbon,  no 
medal,  that  we  compete,  who  struggle  upon 


52 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


the  course  of  life.  We  press  toward  the  mark 
of  the  high  calling,  toward  the  great  reward, 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  toward  the 
joy  and  glory  that  are  hid  with  Him  in  God, 
toward  life  triumphant  and  forever. 

Yes,  life  is  a  race,  the  great  race;  but  it  is 
not  won  in  a  dash ;  it  is  a  contest  of  endurance 
and  fortitude,  of  persistency  and  of  patience. 
To  carry  on  with  the  figures  of  the  apostle, 
it  is  a  race  of  many  laps,  or  rather  of  many 
heats,  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  for  every 
year.  You  may  lose  one;  you  may  lose  many; 
and  the  race  itself  is  not  necessarily  lost. 
Perhaps  some  of  us  find  encouragement  in  the 
thought;  only  let  us  be  sure  that  we  are  not 
depending  too  much  upon  our  ability  to  finish 
well;  many  a  race  has  been  lost  in  the  begin¬ 
ning,  and  many  a  life  has  been  ruined  in  its 
first  heedless  years. 

We  should  check  up  from  time  to  time  to 
find  out  just  what  the  situation  is  with  us. 
Physical  deterioration  is  an  insidious  thing; 
it  comes  noiselessly  upon  us.  We  fancy  our¬ 
selves  quite  as  fit  as  ever  until  some  special 
test  is  suddenly  thrown  down  upon  us;  and 
then  to  our  amazement  and  chagrin  we  crum¬ 
ple  up  and  fail.  Improper  diet,  late  hours, 
bad  habits,  have  cut  away  our  Samson  locks 
of  power.  And  spiritual  deterioration  is  quite 
as  stealthy  in  its  approach.  No  Christian  can 


THE  PATIENCE  OF  THE  STRONG  53 

afford  to  break  training  for  a  single  day. 
New  York  and  Chicago  are  full  of  people  who 
were  running  the  race  of  life  splendidly  in  the 
old  home  town.  They  dined  regularly  on  the 
substantial  face  of  4  4  the  little  brown  church 
in  the  vale,”  and  exercised  constantly  in  the 
mid-week  prayer  service  and  Sunday  School; 
they  trained  in  Christian  Endeavour.  But, 
when  their  feet  touched  Broadway  and  the 
“  Loop  ”  they  went  on  a  vacation;  and  now 
they  are  flabby  from  neglect,  if  they  are  not 
morally  helpless  from  indulgence  and  sin. 

Peary,  the  discoverer  of  the  North  Pole, 
records  that  on  one  of  his  trips  he  discovered 
that  tide  and  wind  were  carrying  him  south 
faster  than  his  dogs  could  rush  across  the 
mighty  ice  floes  into  the  north. 

Is  the  world  making  any  progress  at  all? 
Are  we  really  going  forward?  Anatole 
France,  the  distinguished  French  writer,  has 
written  that  ‘  ‘  evil  is  immortal  ’  ’ ;  and  to  the 
superficial  observer,  indeed,  to  any  one  whose 
faith  is  anchored  short  of  God,  the  conclusion 
seems  justified.  The  recent  war  was  a  lapse 
into  barbarism ;  it  slew  men  more  cruelly  than 
Indians  ever  did.  The  Turk  of  1922  in  his 
descent  upon  the  Armenians  is  quite  as  bar¬ 
barous  as  was  the  Spaniard  in  his  raids  upon 
the  Incas  in  the  fifteenth  century.  A  criminal 
recently  brought  before  the  courts  of  New 


54 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


York  City,  the  murderer  of  two  detectives,  is 
a  young  coloured  man,  who  learned  to  shoot 
and  to  shoot  to  kill,  to  kill  men,  under  the  di¬ 
rection  of  his  Government.  The  fact  that  we 
believe  he  was  trained  to  shoot  for  a  cause 
.just  and  glorious  does  not  relieve  us  of  a 
strange  embarrassment  when  his  old  mother 
sobs  and  rocks,  and  cries,  “  Teached  him  to 
shoot,  can’t  expect  him  not  to.” 

But  even  so,  where  kings  of  olden  times 
cared  nothing  for  the  opinions  of  others,  war 
lords  in  our  day,  however  ruthless,  seek  with 
red  or  blue  or  white  papers  to  excuse  their 
acts,  to  condone  their  offences,  to  shift  to 
other  shoulders  the  blame  for  final  action.  A 
League  of  Nations,  a  Washington  Conference, 
a  Genoa  Council, — these  are  at  least  gestures 
of  progress. 

And  prohibition,  whether  we  have  as  yet 
discovered  it  or  not,  is  slowly  but  surely  vindi¬ 
cating  itself.  It  begins  right  by  being  the 
sober  and  reasoned  conclusion  of  a  great  peo¬ 
ple,  a  conclusion  that  records  a  moral  judg¬ 
ment  and  places  America  on  the  right  side  of 
a  question  that  is  economic,  physical,  political, 
and  moral.  The  banishing  of  duelling  and 
piracy,  the  lottery  and  slavery,  the  xoolitical 
liberation  of  women,  these  are  blazes  upon  the 
roadway  of  the  race  by  which  we  record  our 
progress  toward  the  triumph  of  the  soul. 


THE  PATIENCE  OF  THE  STRONG  55 


No,  man  is  not  going  downward .  “  Things 
are  not  what  they  seem.”  Nature  herself 
seems  a  prodigal  destroyer;  her  torrential 
rains  sweep  cities  away,  and  open  wounds 
through  alluvial  soils  to  unproductive  granite. 
The  sun  burns  the  harvest,  and  shrivels  the 
prairie  grasses  until  the  cattle  starve;  but 
even  so  moisture  and  heat  are  being  stored 
away  to  refresh  and  restore,  to  nourish  and 
warm,  unborn  generations.  Things  are  not 
what  they  seem. 

Captains  have  overthrown  empires  and 
changed  the  very  names  of  once  imperial 
capitals,  but  kingdoms  have  by  the  very  acts 
of  their  conquerors  had  their  boundaries 
widened  to  include  the  world,  and  their  pecu¬ 
liar  and  distinctive  contributions  to  human 
thought  and  action  have  gained  wider  dis¬ 
tribution  through  their  fall  than  they  ever 
could  have  known,  had  they  not  been  hum¬ 
bled. 

“  Egypt  and  its  mighty  neighbours  passed 
suddenly  into  oblivion;  but  their  arts,  science 
and  architecture  were  passed  on  to  the  end  of 
time.  When  ancient  Greece  perished  as  one 
nation,  its  soul  of  beauty  marched  on  to  in¬ 
spire  the  race.  With  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  the 
faith  of  the  Jew  became  the  gift  of  the  Gen¬ 
tile.  When  Rome  ceased  to  exist  politically, 
its  genius  walked  abroad,  and  the  great  ideas 


56 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


for  which  it  stood  rule  a  vaster  empire  than 
the  Caesars.’ 9  Verily,  if  a  corn  of  wheat 
“  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit.” 

We  forget  that  the  purpose  of  creation  was 
not  to  glorify  one  nation,  or  any  nation,  at  the 
expense  of  other  nations.  We  forget,  even  we 
who  are  enlightened  Americans,  that  God  is 
not  a  tribal  God.  The  superior  purpose  of 
creation  is  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  God, 
to  perfect  man,  to  achieve  perfection,  to  come 
at  last  to  the  ultimate  summum  bonum.  We 
take  ourselves  far  too  seriously.  What  is  one 
generation,  or  two,  or  a  hundred?  What  am 
I?  I  have  in  my  library  a  piece  of  wood 
bevelled  by  the  dry-rot  and  action  of  the  cen¬ 
turies  until  it  looks  not  unlike  a  Gothic  tem¬ 
ple.  It  is  the  end  of  one  of  the  original  roof- 
beams  of  Christ  Church,  Hull,  England.  The 
piece  contains  the  hole  through  which  the 
great  pin  passed.  The  specimen  is  a  priceless 
one.  It  came  back  through  the  submarine 
zone,  this  bit  of  heart  of  English  oak  that  the 
venerable  clergyman  gave  to  me  the  day  it 
was  taken  out  of  the  roof  to  be  replaced  by  a 
new  timber.  In  1284,  two  hundred  and  eight 
years  before  Columbus  started  on  his  jour¬ 
ney,  the  hand  of  some  worker  swung  into 
place  the  great  beam  of  which  it  was  a  part. 
The  hand  of  some  worker!  What  was  his 
name?  and  what  am  I?  He  was  one  man,  and 


THE  PATIENCE  OF  THE  STRONG  57 

I  am  another.  He  was  a  builder;  and  I  may 
be  a  builder  too,  part  of  the  great  plan,  a 
fragment  of  the  mind  of  God. 

Slowly  and  in  unfailing  patience  the  pro¬ 
gramme  of  the  eternal  Father  is  being  worked 
out,  and  with  fortitude  and  in  patience  we 
must  run  our  little  way,  finish  our  course,  and 
then  fling  on  the  torch  we  have  carried  to 
other  hands  stretched  out  to  receive  it  as 
eagerly  as  ours  were  when  we  began.  It  is 
not  a  lesson  quickly  learned,  this  lesson  of 
patience.  Nature  is  trying  to  teach  us;  she 
writes  it  upon  her  mountains  which  have  been 
worn  by  the  ages,  and  in  her  mighty  canons 
which  have  been  hollowed  by  the  erosive 
processes  of  unnumbered  years.  It  is  plainly 
written  and  very  soon  our  own  experiences 
confirm  it;  but  it  is  hard  for  us  to  realize  its 
truth.  We  look  for  Him  in  the  lightnings  and 
listen  for  Him  in  the  thunders  rather  than  in 
the  still,  small  voice.  We  are  constantly 
striving  to  hurry  the  Kingdom  rather  than  to 
be  in  our  own  place  about  the  Master’s 
business. 

In  the  high  exaltation  of  the  great  war  and 
in  the  hour  of  its  triumph  we  became  intoxi¬ 
cated  with  victory  until  we  saw  the  sudden 
consummation  of  hopes  long  deferred,  the  end 
of  war,  the  nations  leagued  together  to  en¬ 
sure  peace  and  equality;  the  brotherhood  of 


58 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


man,  the  union  of  the  church.  The  inevitable 
reaction  came.  Some  of  us  were  broken¬ 
hearted,  and  many  were  broken  in  body  and  in 
soul.  “  We  were  going  to  have  every  thing,  *  * 
as  another  has  said, — “  right  away, — Pan- 
Americanism  and  pan-this  and  pan-that,  and 
we  wound  up  by  getting  pandemonium. 9  9 

But  while  we  may  not  participate  in  the 
final  victory,  nor  even,  as  did  Wolfe  on  the 
Plains  of  Abraham,  live  to  see  it,  we  may  run 
our  race;  we  may  do  our  part;  and,  if  we  are 
not  contestants  on  the  course  in  the  last  great 
day,  we  may  be  of  the  great  cloud  of  wit¬ 
nesses.  What  of  the  millions  who  died  in  the 
great  war  before  it  was  won?  They,  too,  are 
part  of  the  triumph.  White  bones  once  marked 
the  Santa  Fe  trail  from  the  Missouri  to  Cali¬ 
fornia,  and  rising  above  the  buffalo-grass 
were  the  head-boards  of  many  graves.  But 
the  markers  of  the  dead  became  sign-boards 
for  the  living,  and  the  very  bones  were  blazes 
on  the  westward  way. 

Science  builds  upon  the  investigations,  the 
mistakes,  and  the  findings  of  the  past;  the 
Wright  brothers  began  where  Langley  left  off. 
Patriotism  lights  fresh  torches  from  the  fires 
of  sacrifice  that  feed  upon  its  Nathan  Hales, 
and  in  religion  “  the  blood  of  the  martyrs  is 
the  seed  of  the  church.” 

Patience  is  an  attribute  of  the  strong. 


THE  PATIENCE  OF  THE  STRONG  59, 


“The  hardest  thing  is  just  to  wait, 

This  is  the  agonizing  fate.” 

The  athletes  declare  that  to  enter  the  contest 
itself  is  a  great  relief;  the  weeks  of  prepara¬ 
tion,  waiting  in  the  dressing-room  or  on  the 
side-lines,  is  the  sterner  test.  Soldiers  in  the 
trenches  who  waited  for  the  zero  hour,  just 
before  the  dawn,  to  “  go  over  the  top,”  and 
into  the  concentrated  tire  of  the  enemy, 
greeted  with  relief  the  word  of  command 
which  broke  the  nerve-destroying  agony  of 
waiting. 

Great  men  must  sometimes  wait  for  the 
vindication  of  history.  Their  plans  have  been 
destroyed  and  their  motives  assailed;  they 
have  been  humiliated  before  the  world;  their 
days  have  been  shortened  upon  the  earth;  but 
in  the  plan  of  God  for  the  ages  they  know  that 
truth  will  prevail,  that,  though  they  die  in 
disgrace,  eternal  justice  will  not  be  denied 
them. 

We  have  read  of  a  platoon  of  French  sol¬ 
diers  who  under  a  young  officer  were  tried  for 
withdrawing  before  the  enemy  and  deserting 
under  fire.  In  the  heat  of  the  mad  war  days 
and  in  the  wild  rush  of  military  events  they 
were  found  guilty  and  shot.  Now  the  truth 
has  been  revealed,  and  these  men  appear  as 
heroes  instead  of  traitors.  Too  late  to  save 
them  from  the  ignominy  of  cowards  ’  deaths 


60 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


they  are  found  to  have  kept  the  faith,  and  to 
have  been  true  to  the  bravest  traditions  of 
France.  Their  names  are  reinstated ;  to  them 
are  granted  posthumous  rewards  and  decora¬ 
tions,  and  their  families  are  made  the  recipi¬ 
ents  of  the  honours  they  themselves  can  never 
wear. 

In  a  street  of  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  years  ago,  a 
dozen  women  of  simple  faith  knelt  to  pray  for 
the  destruction  of  the  saloon  and  the  liquor 
traffic.  Let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  prohibi¬ 
tion  is  the  child  of  prayer.  From  that  very 
humble  beginning  came  the  Woman’s  Crusade, 
and  later  the  Woman’s  Christian  Temperance 
Union.  Long  years  passed,  years  of  mockery 
and  abuse,  years  of  double-dealing  and  de¬ 
feat;  the  women  who  participated  in  that 
street-meeting  in  southern  Ohio  did  not  live 
to  see  their  prayers  answered ;  but  their 
daughters  did,  and  they  themselves  were  num¬ 
bered  with  that 4 4  great  cloud  of  witnesses.” 

Yes,  patience  is  an  attribute  of  strength,  a 
quality  of  the  strong.  Lincoln  waited  for 
peace  and  for  the  restoration  of  understand¬ 
ing  and  fraternity  between  the  North  and  the 
South,  and  the  hand  of  an  assassin  struck  him 
down  in  the  morning  of  his  great  hope.  But 
he  is  one  of  that  “  great  cloud  of  wit¬ 
nesses.” 

And  there  are  mothers  who  have  prayed  for 


THE  PATIENCE  OF  THE  STRONG  61 


prodigal  sons,  and  fathers  who  have  gone 
agonizing  to  their  graves  because  of  wayward 
children,  who,  though  in  time  their  hearts’ 
desire  was  denied  them,  yet  hoped  on;  and 
now  they  are  numbered  with  that  44  great 
cloud  of  witnesses,”  while  44  their  works  do 
follow  them.” 

There  is  no  comfort  in  this  lesson  for  those 
who  cry  out  in  self-pity,  who  bemoan  their 
lot.  We  are  to  run  with  patience,  but  we  are 
to  run.  There  is  no  extenuation  for  idleness, 
and  there  are  no  condolences  for  idlers.  44  Pa¬ 
tience  is  not  passive ;  it  is  active ;  it  is  concen¬ 
trated  strength.”  We  must  run  to  win,  and 
perseverance  is  the  price  of  progress. 


V 

TORCHES  ALOFT 


HE  victory  of  Gideon  over  the  Midian- 


ites  was  one  of  the  most  spectacular 


JfL  of  all  Israel’s  history.  In  a  great 
emergency,  thirty-two  thousand  men  flocked 
to  the  standard  of  the  heroic  judge, — thirty- 
two  thousand  men  who  seemed  eager  to  de¬ 
fend  the  sanctity  of  their  firesides  and  their 
nation’s  honour;  thirty-two  thousand  men 
who  seemed  to  have  counted  the  cost  and  were 
willing  and  eager  to  face  danger  and  brave 
hardship.  To  the  casual  observer  all  must 
have  appeared  animated  by  the  same  spirit, 
all  must  have  so  carried  themselves  as  to  be 
alike  credited  with  determination  to  dare  and 
if  need  be,  die  for  their  country  and  their 


faith. 


But  when  the  first  test  came,  and  one  that 
to  us  now  does  not  appear  especially  heroic, 
for  it  was  but  the  challenge  of  their  captain’s 
frankly  spoken  word,  “  Whoever  is  fearful 
and  afraid,  let  him  return  and  depart,”  more 
than  two-thirds  of  that  army  shrank  from  the 
undertaking,  turned  back,  fled.  A  thousand 


62 


TORCHES  ALOFT 


63 


terrors  suddenly  rose  before  them;  they 
sensed  unnumbered  dangers ;  they  saw  in 
imagination  the  fierce  Midianites  and  the 
morning  of  a  fateful  disaster.  Their  faith  in 
God  left  them ;  they  set  out  for  home.  I  have 
often  wondered  what  kind  of  a  reception  they 
received  and  how  they  felt  when  finally  the 
victors  came  marching  back.  Of  course,  in 
this  instance,  the  slackers  so  far  outnumbered 
the  heroes  that  faint-of-heart  though  they 
were,  they  were  also  perfectly  safe,  and  every 
man  who  framed  an  alibi  was  sure  of  a  large 
audience  of  sympathetic  listeners. 

But  now  the  ten  thousand  who  remained 
steadfast,  with  unshaken  courage,  must  ex¬ 
perience  yet  a  more  searching  test.  Bravery 
is  not  enough.  Sometimes  its  recklessness  en¬ 
dangers  a  cause,  precipitates  an  untimely  con¬ 
flict,  and  defeats  a  well-prepared  programme, 
or  carefully  planned  campaign,.  Of  these  ten 
thousand  who  were  left  to  Gideon, — ten  thou¬ 
sand  with  which  to  meet  one  hundred  and 
thirty  thousand  invading  warriors,  only  three 
hundred  were  finally  found,  whose  self-denial, 
whose  stern  self-discipline,  and  self-possessed 
presence  of  mind,  showed  them  to  be  of  the 
character  necessary  for  the  supreme  ordeal 
soon  to  be  laid  upon  the  defenders  of  Israel. 
Three  hundred  to  meet  an  army, — three  hun- 


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LEARN  TO  LIVE 


dred  to  save  a  nation, — and  the  three  hundred 
were  sufficient. 

History  is  ablaze  with  sacrificial  fires  lighted 
by  the  warriors  of  outnumbered  and  forlorn 
hopes, — the  few  who  held  the  bridge  against 
the  many;  or  kept  the  pass  where  arrogant 
might  sought  to  cleave  a  way.  Their  strength 
was  not  the  strength  of  numbers,  but  the 
might  of  right.  Their  power  came  from  no 
selfish  hope,  but  sprang  from  the  richly  nour¬ 
ished  soil  of  a  righteous  cause. 

With  Gideon’s  band  it  was  always,  “  the 
sword  of  the  Lord  ”  first,  and  the  triumph 
that  was  so  signally  achieved  was  a  triumph 
that  sent  Israel  to  her  tabernacle  shouting  the 
praises  of  God  and  not  the  prowess  of  any 
earthly  leader.  Jehovah,  who  had  led  them 
through  the  wilderness,  and  over  the  Jordan, 
in  whose  name  they  had  rocked  the  walls  of 
Canaan’s  hostile  cities  into  heaps,  was  again 
the  great  and  only  One,  to  whom  they  turned 
in  an  hour  of  threatened  calamity.  And  again 
he  failed  them  not. 

The  method  used  was  as  unique  as  the  test 
applied  to  the  volunteers.  Pitchers  and  lamps, 
broken  vessels,  and  then  torches  held  aloft 
while  trumpets  were  blown  mightily.  The 
enemy  himself  did  the  work  of  slaughter  and 
completed  his  own  disaster. 

It  is  with  the  torches  that  we  are  especially 


TORCHES  ALOFT 


65 


concerned  here.  Upon  them  we  concentrate 
onr  attention.  They  were  at  once  flames  of 
terror  and  beacons  of  reassurance.  To  the 
frenzied  foe  they  were  the  eyes  of  avenging 
and  clarion-throated  furies;  to  the  conquering 
servants  of  the  Lord  they  were  lights  by 
which  to  set  their  course,  and  the  fires  of 
promised  victory.  And  so  it  came  to  pass, 
that  in  a  great  crisis  of  Israel’s  history,  the 
torch-bearer  was  more  potent  than  the  soldier 
with  a  spear,  and  the  three  hundred  who 
trusted  in  God  and  went  weaponless  to  con¬ 
flict  were  more  powerful  than  the  thousands 
who  measured  their  chances  of  victory  by  the 
thickness  of  their  armour,  and  the  keenness  of 
their  steel. 

And  is  not  the  experience  of  Gideon  and  his 
band  a  parable  of  human  progress?  Is  not 
the  man  with  the  lamp  greater  than  the  man 
with  the  sword?  Are  we  not  chiefly  in  the 
debt  of  those  who  held  the  torches  aloft? 

Every  life  is  a  lamp.  Personality  is  the 
only  divine  flame,  and  the  only  torch  that  lasts 
is  the  life  that  never  dies.  Every  life  carries 
a  torch,  for  every  life  is  a  divine  personality. 
But  torches  are  not  all  alive,  nor  are  they 
alike.  There  are  four  kinds,  some  that  once 
burned  brightly  have  gone  out  and  are  dead; 
others  are  burning,  but  above  false  positions 
and  they  call  the  people  into  places  of  danger, 


66 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


error,  and  death;  yet  others  have  never  been 
lighted;  they  wait  for  the  kindling  fire;  and 
finally  there  are  those  that  strike  terror  to  the 
heart  of  evil,  and  accomplish  the  triumphs  of 
the  Lord,  as  did  the  lamps  of  Gideon  long 
ago. 

It  is  a  sad  thing  to  contemplate  a  life  that 
once  was  a  flame  for  truth,  now  cold  with 
cynicism  or  doubt  or  denial.  The  Ichabods  of 
human  experience  are  those  who  once  gave 
themselves  with  zeal  and  unselfish  abandon  to 
some  exalting  cause,  and  then  suddenly  or 
more  slowly  grew  passionless  in  its  service, 
until  they  ceased  to  carry  conviction  as  its 
supporters,  or  as  did  Benedict  Arnold,  turn  to 
strengthen  its  foes. 

Youth  is  glorious  because  of  the  torch  it 
carries,  ardent,  high  burning,  wasteful  at 
times,  and  prodigal,  to  be  sure,  but  shining 
through  the  densest  fogs  of  doubt  and  the 
thickest  clouds  of  difficulty.  But  old  age  has 
borne  some  of  the  clearest  beacons  of  faith 
aloft  in  adversity’s  darkest  nights.  Benjamin 
Franklin  was  venerable  when  with  the  ardour 
of  a  lad  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Colonists 
and  gave  his  rich  experience  and  matured  wis¬ 
dom  to  her  councils  at  home  and  abroad. 

The  secret  of  keeping  the  lamp  your  youth 
first  raised  from  going  out,  lies  in  feeding  it. 
Patriots  do  not  desert  to  the  flag  of  tyranny 


TORCHES  ALOFT 


67 


while  they  continue  to  remember  only  their 
country  and  to  forget  utterly  self.  Preachers 
do  not  lose  the  burning  eloquence,  the  saving 
passion  of  their  message,  until  they  fail,  or 
forget  to  feed  their  own  souls  upon  the  sup¬ 
plies  God  has  provided  for  the  ever-deepen¬ 
ing  Christian  experience. 

But  there  are  those  who  have  never  been 
fired  by  a  great  ambition,  to  whom  life  has 
never  appeared  as  more  than  a  purely  per¬ 
sonal  and  selfish  existence.  Their  torches 
however  held,  are  cold  and  lifeless  things. 

And  then  in  every  age  men  have  stood 
forth  in  brilliant  light  to  espouse  selfish  plans 
or  vicious  ends;  who  have  planted  themselves 
above  the  plains  of  human  activity,  and  called 
with  golden  trumpets  to  false  Utopias  of 
pleasure  or  greed  or  cunningly  devised  selfish¬ 
ness.  They  are  exploiters  of  the  innocent  and 
confiding;  capitalizing  the  longings  of  the  be¬ 
reaved  and  defeated.  The  revival  of  spiritism 
has  raised  again  one  of  the  falsest  and  most 
mendacious  torches  that  has  ever  shone  upon 
a  groping  world. 

It  is,  however,  to  the  lamps  that  burn  with 
steady  flame,  to  the  beacons  that  guide  us  to 
the  heights  of  achievement,  character,  truth 
and  blessedness,  it  is  to  these  true  torches 
aloft  that  we  turn  our  eager  eyes. 

To  the  torch  of  science.  Someone  Has  said 


68 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


that  “  Science  is  the  statement  of  truth  found 
out,”  and  whatever  the  popular  conception  of 
science  may  be,  and  pseudo-scientists  to  the 
contrary,  this  is  the  most  satisfying  definition 
of  the  many  that  are  offered.  The  debt  man 
owes  to  the  bearers  of  the  torch  of  science  no 
man  will  ever  compute.  The  philosopher  and 
the  astronomer,  the  physician  and  the  chem¬ 
ist,  who  have  charted  the  remote  skies,  defined 
the  hidden  impulses  of  the  human  heart,  fol¬ 
lowed  disease  to  its  miasmic  lair,  and  found 
the  answers  to  a  thousand  riddles  of  pain, — 
these  have  made  the  way  of  mankind  happier, 
and  safer;  they  are  indeed  benefactors  of  the 
race.  To-day  in  practically  unnumbered  fields 
scientists  are  uncovering  to  us  the  mysteries 
of  truth  that  until  now  have  evaded  the  mind 
of  man.  Against  the  jungles  of  Panama  they 
turn  their  cleansing  light,  and  where  only  a 
generation  ago  the  European  ventured  at  the 
peril  of  his  life,  he  may  now  set  up  his  habita¬ 
tion,  and  make  his  home  in  perfect  safety. 
The  yellow  fever  with  a  dozen  other  plagues 
that  swept  states  and  even  continents,  have 
not  been  able  to  withstand  the  white  flame  of 
those  who  fortified  their  faith  with  the  demon¬ 
strations  of  laboratories  and  armed  their 
courage  with  the  healing  alchemy  of  modern 
medicine. 

There  is  the  torch  of  discovery  also, — the 


TORCHES  ALOFT 


69 


light  carried  into  unknown  lands  by  adventur¬ 
ous  souls  who  were  not  satisfied  until  they  had 
reached  the  last  frontiers  and  who  now  lift 
their  eyes  and  scan  the  universe  for  yet  other 
worlds  to  conquer.  How  hearts  have  thrilled, 
through  all  the  years,  at  stories  of  explorers 
who  found  the  lands  beyond;  who  planted 
their  banners  upon  the  unnamed  shores;  who 
set  up  their  standards  in  the  unexplored  con¬ 
tinental  wilderness;  who  first  rode  upon  tides 
of  mighty  rivers ;  who  were  the  first  to  see  the 
ocean’s  broad  expanse.  They  hold  us  in  the 
bondage  of  their  romantic  faith  and  fortitude. 
Their  blood  flows  down  our  veins,  and  in 
prosaic  tasks  we  catch  the  gleam  that  died 
upon  their  swords,  and  feel  ourselves  of  them 
a  part. 

And  there  is  the  torch  of  invention, — the 
light  divine  of  God’s  own  kindling,  that  led 
man  first  to  the  primitive  tools  and  the  simple 
devices  which  lifted  him  above  his  natal  clod, 
and  set  him  free  to  follow  where  called  the 
trumpet  of  the  soul.  How  burns  that  lamp 
to-day!  When  I  think  of  the  discoveries  of 
man  in  the  field  of  invention  since  I  was  a  lad, 
in  the  short  space  of  my  personal  observation, 
I  stand  humbled  and  amazed.  Less  than  a 
dozen  years  ago  a  Popular  Science  Monthly 
carried  a  prophecy  that  seemed  so  far-fetched 
and  unwarranted  that  I  branded  it  as  utterly 


70 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


impossible  and  ridiculous.  But  I  never  for¬ 
got  it.  The  concluding  paragraph  was  in 
effect  this;  indeed,  these  are  almost  the  words 
in  which  it  was  written:  “  The  time  will  come 
when  a  man  will  be  able  to  ground  his  instru¬ 
ment  and  speak  directly  to  a  friend  who  may 
be  lost  in  the  deepest  jungles  of  Africa.”  Of 
course  I  did  not  believe  it.  But  ten  days  ago  I 
stood  in  a  room  and  speaking  as  I  have  spoken 
to  you  was  heard  by  my  wife,  and  under¬ 
stood  as  though  I  sat  by  her  side,  although  she 
was  a  hundred  and  eighty  miles  away,  while 
listening  in  were  groups  of  people  in  Cuba 
and  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Who  dares  place  a 
limit  now  upon  the  distance  to  which  this 
torch  of  discovery  will  eventually  carry?  Al¬ 
ready  it  has  shone  beyond  the  boundaries  set 
by  the  most  adventurous  prophets  of  the  past. 
Already  it  has  lighted  up  the  darkness  that 
even  they  declared  would  never  know  the 
break  of  day.  Already  the  searchlight  of  in¬ 
vention  plays  upon  the  ships  that  pass  each 
other  in  the  air  and  sweep  directed  by  an  un¬ 
seen  hand,  obedient  to  the  will  of  man.  And 
who  shall  say  that  in  another  time  it  will  not 
find  a  way  to  penetrate  the  darkness  of  un¬ 
charted  nether  space  and  flash  its  signal  to  our 
sister  worlds. 

Twin  to  the  soul  of  science  is  the  soul  of 
art,  and  both  are  children  of  religion.  The 


TORCHES  ALOFT 


71 


highest  art  is  always  the  most  religious,  and 
the  great  artist  is  always  a  devout  man.  Can 
you  conceive  of  a  scoffing  Michael  Angelo? 
“  I  think  that  artists,  true  artists,  are  nearest 
God,  for  into  their  souls  He  breathes  His  life, 
and  from  their  hands  it  comes  again  in  fair, 
articulate  forms  to  bless  the  world.’ ’  Henry 
Martyn  wrote,  “  Since  I  have  known  God  in  a 
saving  manner,  painting,  poetry  and  music 
have  had  charms  unknown  to  me  before.  I 
have  either  received  what  is  a  taste  for  them, 
or  religion  has  refined  my  mind  and  made  it 
susceptible  of  new  impressions  from  the 
sublime  and  beautiful.”  “  True  art  is  the 
reverent  imitation  of  God.”  Its  torch  is  a 
flame  divine. 

But  neither  the  torch  of  science  nor  the 
lamp  of  art  is  omnipotent.  My  feet  have 
known  ways  their  light  will  never  shine  upon ; 
and  my  soul  has  found  valleys  so  deep  that 
their  rays  have  been  lost  in  the  upper  shad¬ 
ows.  No  inventor  will  ever  replace  a  heart 
that  grief  has  broken;  no  explorer  will  ever 
discover  a  sea  with  waters  deep  enough  to 
drown  remorse;  no  artist  will  ever  make  his 
smiling  children  of  the  canvas  leap  within  a 
mother’s  empty  arms,  and  no  chemist  will 
ever  find  by  laboratory  experiments  the  anti¬ 
dote  for  sin.  The  only  flame  that  knows  no 
conquering  night  is  love; — love  eternal;  love 


72 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


divine;  love  omnipotent;  love, -“the  love  of 
God  as  made  manifest  in  Jesus  Christ  his 
matchless  Son,  the  love  with  which  God  so 
loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begot¬ 
ten  that  “  whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should 
not  perish,  hut  have  everlasting  life.  ’  ’ 

And  this  is  the  torch  that  Jesus  bears, — the 
torch  of  love, — “  love,  so  amazing,  so  divine,” 
that  it  has  in  it  the  super-attractive  power  of 
light  itself.  In  childhood’s  fancy,  I  have 
watched  the  sun  draw  the  moisture  from  un¬ 
covered  waters  of  the  earth  until  it  seemed 
that  shining  legions  were  marching  up  gold- 
paved  ways  from  earth  to  heaven.  And  when 
we  turn  our  eyes  to  Calvary  and  the  open 
tomb,  we  feel  again  the  mystery  of  life  within 
us,  our  hearts  open  to  its  ransomed  and  im¬ 
mortal  powers,  and  we  hear  the  voice  which 
is  like  the  sound  of  many  waters,  saying, 
“And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will 
draw  all  men  unto  me.” 

Yes,  the  only  flame  that  knows  no  conquer¬ 
ing  night,  is  love, — Love  is  the  torch  that 
never  fails,  the  torch  that  Jesus  bears,  the 
lamp  He  handed  on  to  us.  Calvary  is  the 
Beacon  Hill  of  the  ages,  for  upon  its  bleeding 
brow  God’s  dear  son  lifted  love  so  high  that 
to  the  last  man  it  sends  its  healing  rays. 


VI 


A  MAN’S  FIGHT 


HE  normal  man  is  born  with  a  will  to 


overcome.  In  earliest  yonth  the  spirit 


JL  to  conquer  manifests  itself,  and  the 
utmost  wisdom  is  required  to  discipline  it 
without  breaking  or  destroying  it.  The  lad 
who  climbs  to  the  top  of  the  old  apple  tree,  or 
digs  a  cave  under  the  hill,  or  builds  a  rude 
raft  on  the  pond,  or  raids  an  orchard,  or  plants 
his  diminutive  fist  in  the  stomach  of  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  some  rival  gang,  who  explores  the  vast 
unknown  that  lies  just  beyond  the  neighbour’s 
hedge,  with  scant  consideration  for  fragile 
flowers,  and  whose  dam  across  the  gutter 
floods  the  sidewalk  and  lawn,  is  listening  to  a 
voice  that  he  does  not  yet  understand,  that  fre¬ 
quently  he  misunderstands,  but  the  voice  of 
an  inner  urge  that  calls  him  to  the  deeds  of  a 
man,  an  inner  urge  that  if  given  wise  direc¬ 
tion  and  control,  will  make  him  a  useful  citi¬ 
zen,  a  constructive  member  of  society,  and 
that  may  lift  him  to  heights  sublime. 

Whence  comes  this  will  to  conquer?  Sci¬ 
entists  tell  us  that  out  of  the  past  it  comes,  the 


73 


74 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


long  past  before  man  knew  bis  present  mas¬ 
tery  of  wild  life,  and  before  the  ways  of  winds 
and  tides  were  part  of  his  understanding, — 
that  dire  necessity,  the  instinct  of  self-preser¬ 
vation,  and  the  compulsion  of  fear,  made  him 
cunning,  then  combative, — that,  fighting,  he 
came  to  glory  in  his  strength,  to  go  adventur¬ 
ing  with  his  skill,  and  that  at  last,  when  trails 
became  familiar  he  tired  of  them,  and  sought, 
or  made,  new  paths;  that  he  was  constantly 
seeking  for  his  primal  cause,  searching  for  the 
answer  to  his  being;  that  always  what  he 
could  not  understand,  he  feared;  but  that  what 
he  feared,  he  ever  sought  to  understand. 

Science  has  spoken  many  words  of  wisdom. 
Man  becomes  an  overcomer  by  overcoming; 
muscularly  and  spiritually,  he  grows  and 
grows  strong,  by  daring  and  doing. 

But  for  the  beginning  science  must  go  far¬ 
ther  back  than  the  first  man,  and  to  find  the 
secret  of  this  vital  and  all-vitalizing  essence 
of  life,  science  must  read  not  only  the  story  of 
the  rocks  with  their  embalmed  footprints  of 
the  ages,  but  tho  Word  and  the  mind  of  God. 

And  God  said,  4  4  Let  us  make  man  in  our 
own  image;  after  our  likeness;  and  let  him 
have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea  and  the 
fowl  of  the  air  and  over  the  cattle  and  over 
every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the 
earth.  And  so  God  created  man  in  his  own 


A  MAN’S  FIGHT 


75 


image;  in  the  image  of  God  created  he  him; 
male  and  female  created  he  them.  ’  ’ 

And  whether  man  in  coming  into  his  own, 
in  demonstrating  his  lordship,  has  been  swift 
or  slow;  whatever  the  details  of  his  past  and 
the  plan  of  his  future,  his  will  to  conquer  and 
the  power  that  makes  him  master,  that  gives 
unto  him  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea  and 
the  fowls  of  the  air,  over  the  cattle  and  every 
creeping  thing,  that  distinguishes  him  as  an 
immortal  soul,  is  divine,  not  the  result  of  evo¬ 
lutionary  processes,  but  the  gift  of  God. 

In  the  incontrovertible  fact  that  man  must 
toil  to  succeed  and  battle  to  prevail  lies  the 
germ  of  the  argument  for  war  as  a  roadway 
for  progress.  Some  of  society’s  greatest  minds 
have  declared  that  without  armed  conflicts 
men  would  become  flabby  and  pusillanimous, 
that  in  war  the  great  qualities  of  courage,  for¬ 
titude,  patriotism  and  self-denial  all  find  their 
highest  expression  and  receive  their  greatest 
development;  that  as  the  result  of  war  the 
physically  sound  and  morally  fit  place  their 
stamp  upon  the  race. 

But  without  taking  the  extreme  position  of 
the  non-resister,  and  without  denying  the  jus¬ 
tice  of  many  a  cause  that  has  appealed  to 
arms  rather  than  surrendering  to  tyranny,  the 
evils  following  in  the  train  of  Mars  as  he 
drags  his  bloody  boots  from  Europe’s  mired 


76 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


fields  to-day,  lead  us  to  but  one  conclusion, — 
the  conclusion  that  the  judgments  of  God  are 
true  and  righteous  altogether,  and  that  they 
who  take  the  sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword. 
The  conclusion,  too,  that  war  itself  has  never 
settled  anything,  and  that  for  every  finer 
quality  of  the  soul  it  has  revealed,  it  has  un¬ 
leashed  a  baser  passion. 

The  murders  that  crowd  fit  reading  from 
our  newspapers  to-day,  and  the  unprecedented 
number  of  lesser  crimes  of  violence  that  attend 
them,  are  too  frequently  if  not  generally  the 
continuing  expression  of  the  malign  and  de¬ 
stroying  spirit  we  prodded  into  action  with 
bayonets  and  kept  alive  on  poison  gas. 

Now  is  the  time  for  us  to  speak;  to  agitate; 
to  demand  a  hearing  for  the  sanity  in  public 
and  international  affairs  that  has  outlawed  the 
private  feud  and  duelling ;  to  support  the  gov¬ 
ernment  in  every  plan  for  disarmament  and  to 
record  ourselves  for  such  an  association  of 
nations  as  will  give  to  the  world  the  same 
solidarity  of  action  for  peace  as  was  finally 
achieved  by  the  Allies  for  war.  Now  is  the 
time  for  us  to  speak,  for  when  the  black  curse 
falls  upon  a  people,  and  the  sons  are  num¬ 
bered,  it  is  too  late. 

Granting  that  in  times  past  freedom  had  no 
other  resting  place  than  spearheads,  justice  no 
safety  without  a  sword,  and  that  evil  might 


A  MAN’S  FIGHT 


77 


bow  only  to  a  mightier  right,  do  we  not  now 
see  the  utter  folly  and  futility  of  killing  men 
and  women  and  children  because  governments 
disagree?  Now  is  the  time  to  speak!  And  if 
men  and  women  will  assert  themselves  with 
half  the  courage,  determination  and  faith  that 
finally  prevailed  upon  the  battle-fields  of  Italy 
and  Belgium  and  France,  this  world  would 
never  again  scar  her  valleys  and  level  her  hills 
to  make  a  field  of  Armageddon. 

What  then  of  the  will  to  conquer ;  the  divine 
inner  urge  that  sends  men  against  difficulties 
and  strengthens  them  in  great  ordeals  for  yet 
greater  tasks?  There  are  unnumbered  moral 
equivalents  for  war. 

In  the  past  men  have  taken  the  adventure 
trail  into  the  unknown  portions  of  the  earth; 
they  have  discovered  new  lands  and  revealed 
easier  routes  of  access  to  the  old.  With  the 
wand  of  science  they  have  touched  the  forces 
of  nature  and  made  them  bow  to  human  will, 
until  in  the  livery  of  utility  and  service  they 
have  turned  the  wheels  of  commerce  and 
drawn  the  wagons  of  trade. 

Into  the  darkness  of  feudal  systems  men 
have  gone  to  rescue  representative  govern¬ 
ment  and  free  institutions,  into  fever-laden 
swamps  they  have  penetrated  to  storm  the 
fortress  of  disease,  and  searching  through  the 
hidden  secrets  of  the  mind  they  have  found 


78 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


inventions  that  light  the  way  of  progress  and 
make  glad  the  paths  of  peace. 

What  glories  and  what  sacrifices  shine  npon 
the  pages  of  the  past  that  bear  no  mark  of 
war!  More  than  three  thousand  miles  from 
our  eastern  centers  of  education  and  culture, 
are  the  ruins  of  the  small  brick#  edifice  that 
was  the  science-hall,  history,  mathematics,  and 
language  building,  laboratory,  observatory, 
library  and  office,  of  the  college  the  writer  at¬ 
tended  during  the  four  years  of  his  under¬ 
graduate  life.  It  stands  upon  a  mountain  river 
where  the  fir-clad  ranges  meet  the  valley.  It 
was  built  by  the  hands  and  faith  of  pioneer 
men  and  women,  who  even  as  they  felled  the 
trees  to  raise  their  first  cabins,  shaped  the 
bricks  of  their  first  school. 

Out  of  their  meager  capital  they  laid  aside 
an  allowance  for  educational  instruction,  and 
from  their  busy  homes  and  fields  and  the  vir¬ 
gin  timber  they  spared  their  sons  and  daugh¬ 
ters  long  enough  to  give  them  the  advantages 
of  the  wilderness  academy.  As  I  think  of 
them  now,  in  a  new  country,  surrounded  by 
Indians  who  were  often  unfriendly;  far  re¬ 
moved  from  the  center  of  society,  and,  as  they 
knew,  destined  to  live  and  die  in  the  wild, 
rugged  environment  of  the  frontier,  I  marvel 
at  their  faith,  their  courage  and  their  vision. 

But  though  they  did  not  live  to  see  their 


A  MAN’S  FIGHT 


79 


brave  hopes  realized,  the  children  of  their 
children,  who  stand  at  last  npon  their  shoul¬ 
ders  to  see  with  the  eyes  of  flesh  what  in  that 
day  was  but  a  sturdy  dream,  revere  them  for 
their  worth,  and  glory  in  the  fight  they 
fought. 

And  does.v  peace  have  for  us  to-day  no  new 
worlds  to  conquer?  Sometimes  we  labour 
under  this  delusion.  There  are  unnumbered 
worlds  to  conquer.  In  a  score  of  fields  we  are 
just  at  the  beginning  of  great  discoveries;  we 
have  scarcely  glimpsed  the  mysteries  of  the 
skies  above  us  and  our  adventure  trails  are  as 
alluring  as  those  the  fathers  followed. 

In  the  Southwest  the  regions  of  the  Rainbow 
Bridge  are  almost  as  remote  as  they  were  a 
hundred  years  ago.  In  the  far  north  and  far¬ 
ther  south,  are  frozen  stretches  upon  which  no 
foot  of  man  has  ever  pressed;  the  jungles  of 
Patagonia  and  Brazil  are  an  unknown  land; 
Mt.  Everest  remains  unsubdued,  and  Asia,  the 
birthplace  of  man,  in  mighty  stretches,  unex¬ 
plored. 

Daily,  by  way  of  the  laboratory,  new  realms 
are  opened  for  the  physician  and  chemist, 
while  in  the  yet  higher  fields  of  morals  and 
religion,  the  grim  monsters,  famine,  racial 
hatred,  and  war,  stalk  with  insolence  un¬ 
abated.  The  opportunities  that  our  sons  and 
daughters  face  to-day  are  greater  far  than 


80 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


any  previous  generation  knew.  They  are  vast 
beyond  our  comprehension. 

Life  for  every  man  is  a  44  man’s  fight,”  a 
battle  royal.  The  tests  laid  down,  the  risks 
involved,  and  rich  rewards,  make  life  to-day 
a  more  inviting  mystery,  a  braver  romance,  a 
greater  adventure,  than  44  When  Knighthood 
was  in  Flower,”  and  to  those  who  tremble  for 
the  fate  of  man  when  wars  shall  no  more 
threaten  and  44  His  Peace  ”  shall  reign,  there 
comes  the  answer  of  Heber’s  noble  hymn: 

“  The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war, 

A  kingly  crown  to  gain; 

His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar; 

Who  follows  in  His  train? 

Who  best  can  drink  his  cup  of  woe, 

Triumphant  over  pain? 

Who  patient  bears  his  cross  below, 

He  follows  in  His  train.” 


VII 


THE  ACID  TEST 

THE  rich  young  ruler  is  one  of  the  most 
pathetically  attractive  figures  of  the 
New  Testament.  Clean  and  fine,  with 
mind  and  body  trained  in  virtue’s  school,  he 
came  with  honest  longings  and  aspirations 
that  he  himself  could  not  define,  to  learn  from 
the  great  teacher  the  way  of  larger  truth. 
That  he  had  a  frank  pride  in  himself  there  can 
be  no  doubt;  it  was  the  pride  of  conscious 
strength,  the  strength  of  chastity  and  lawful 
living  in  a  time  when  these  were  virtues  re¬ 
served  for  age,  for  those  about  to  salute 
death. 

But  while  he  had  pride  in  his  moral  and  in¬ 
tellectual  attainments,  he  was  not  satisfied 
with  himself.  Woe  to  the  man  who  is,  for  his 
life  is  as  a  closed  book.  Confidence,  con¬ 
fidence  in  one’s  self,  in  one’s  strength,  in  one’s 
plan,  in  one’s  motive,  is  an  essential  virtue. 
Without  it  no  great  triumph,  no  worth-while 
or  abiding  fruition  is  ever  achieved.  But  self- 
satisfaction  is  the  end  of  constructive  activity, 

for  it  is  the  dirge  of  ambition.  The  difference 

81 


82 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


between  mediocrity  and  brilliancy  is  fre¬ 
quently  the  difference  between  a  goal  too 
quickly  reached  because  too  lowly  set,  and  an 
aspiration  that  forever  calls  to  higher,  nobler, 
more  adventurous  things. 

It  was  the  divine  fire  of  dissatisfaction  that 
sent  the  rich  young  ruler  running  to  Jesus 
with  his  question.  He  had  designs  upon  the 
heights.  He  was  not  satisfied  in  the  company 
of  the  average  well-doer,  and  his  courage  was 
of  such  a  mettle  that,  though  of  the  temple 
company,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  seek  enlight¬ 
enment  of  the  despised  and  outlawed  prophet 
of  the  poor.  Yes,  this  youth  of  so  many 
manly  parts  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  fig¬ 
ures  of  all  those  who  came  to  Jesus.  He  had 
character;  he  had  ambition;  and  to  a  certain 
point,  to  a  remarkable  degree,  he  had  cour¬ 
age. 

But  those  who  reach  the  heights  must  climb, 
and  for  every  foot  in  moral  altitude  attained 
beyond  the  common  levels,  a  corresponding 
tax  is  laid  on  brawn  and  soul.  Upon  those 
who  achieve  distinction  and  graces  above  their 
fellows,  is  levied  an  exacting  price, — a  price 
that  many  finally  refuse  to  pay. 

“  The  heights  by  great  men  reached  and  kept, 

Were  not  attained  by  sudden  flight. 

But  they,  while  their  companions  slept, 

Were  toiling  upward  in  the  night.” 


THE  ACID  TEST 


83 


The  rich  young  ruler  was  not  the  first  to  turn 
sorrowfully  awav,  nor  has  he  been  the  last. 
But  to  those  who  accept  the  terms  of  life  in 
her  largeness,  of  life  triumphant  and  per¬ 
fected,  there  are  rewards  of  high  distinction, 
and  of  them  it  may  be  said,  they  are  the  path¬ 
finders  of  progress. 

The  nation  has  unveiled  in  the  Arlington 
National  Cemetery  a  striking  memorial  to  Ad¬ 
miral  Peary,  discoverer  of  the  North  Pole. 
The  chronicles  of  exploration  contain  no 
record  more  inspiring  than  this  of  the  man 
who  six  times  braved  the  rigors  of  the  north 
before  he  accomplished  his  life ’s  ambition,  and 
planted  the  flag  of  his  country  upon  the  top  of 
the  world.  In  one  of  his  letters  he  tells  us 
that  his  great  quest  so  possessed  him  that  he 
came  to  live  for  nothing  else ;  it  was  his  dream 
by  night,  his  vision  in  the  day;  the  fire  that 
consumed  his  bones,  the  flame  that  was  his 
soul;  for  this  he  was  alive,  toward  this  his 
being  moved. 

What  a  disillusionment  the  life  of  Peary  is 
for  all  who  labor  under  the  impression  or  prac¬ 
tice  the  fallacy  that  merit  walks  with  ease  or 
that  greatness  is  a  gift.  Along  the  marches  to 
the  North  Pole  roared  icy  blasts  that  froze  the 
marrow  and  sapped  the  stamina  of  soul  as 
well  as  body;  about  him  was  the  endless  night, 
the  mysteries  of  the  vast  unknown,  the  still- 


84 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


ness  of  white  death.  The  bones  of  those  who 
through  a  thousand  years  had  perished  in  the 
futile  quest,  called  to  him  from  their  hidden 
tombs,  “  It  can’t  be  done.”  His  was  the 
physical  agony  of  frozen  feet  and  shrinking 
flesh,  of  labour  so  prodigious  that  it  became 
excruciating  pain,  of  loneliness  so  appalling 
that  reason  rocked  upon  her  throne.  No  man 
will  ever  compute  the  price  that  Peary  paid 
for  the  North  Pole. 

And  the  record  of  all  who  stand  upon  the 
summits  of  supreme  accomplishments  is  like 
unto  this.  Was  it  not  Britain’s  amazing 
Prime  Minister  who  said  when  he  alone  of  all 
the  great  war  figures  remained  unhumbled  in 
the  forum  of  statesmanship,  ‘  ‘  The  higher  one 
climbs,  the  colder  and  lonelier  it  becomes.” 

Even  frail  women  may  reach  the  summit  of 
Mt.  Washington,  and  there  is  a  cog  railroad  to 
the  crest  of  Pike’s  Peak,  but  the  Matterhorn 
remains  the  conquest  of  only  the  sturdiest,  and 
the  resources  of  science  are  being  drained  if 
not  exhausted,  to  conquer  Mt.  Everest. 

The  artist  whose  masterpiece  survives  the 
centuries  mixed  his  colours  with  his  heart’s 
blood  or  drew  his  symphonies  from  hidden 
springs  of  vital  forces  his  genius  left  ex¬ 
hausted,  paid  with  life  for  greatness.  Stephen 
settled  for  his  robe  of  everlasting  glory,  with 
the  stones  of  martyrdom;  Lincoln  for  his  1m- 


THE  ACID  TEST 


85 


mortality,  with  anguish  and  a  bullet;  Savona¬ 
rola  for  his  crown,  with  flames,  and  Jesus  for 
his  finished  work,  with  Calvary’s  cross. 

The  trouble  with  the  rich  young  ruler  was 
that  he  had  a  good  impulse,  but  without  the 
slightest  idea  of  what  following  it  through 
might  involve.  There  are  many  to-day  who 
are  like  him,  men  and  women  who  think  that 
they  want  the  activities  of  the  larger  life, 
when  in  reality  they  are  superficial  emotional¬ 
ists  and  desire  only  its  emoluments  and  re¬ 
wards.  When  the  great  opportunity  comes  to 
them  with  its  test,  they  turn  away,  because  the 
price  of  its  distinction  is  too  great  to  pay. 
They  are  ready  to  relieve  the  famine  in  Ar¬ 
menia  or  Eussia,  providing  they  can  do  so 
with  a  costume  ball,  or  a  Lenten  dance  for 
sweet  charity’s  sake.  Perhaps  the  rich  young 
ruler,  remembering  past  experiences,  rather 
expected  Jesus  to  stop  with  congratulations, — 
perhaps  he  expected  him  to  say,  i  ‘  Go  on, 
young  man;  go  on.”  Very  likely  he  was  sur¬ 
prised  when  the  great  teacher  commanded, 
“  Go,  sell,  and  give,  and  come,  follow  me.” 

At  the  close  of  a  young  people’s  convention 
in  a  most  unattractive  coal  town  of  a  neigh¬ 
bouring  state,  a  young  lady  came  to  me  with 
the  exclamation,  “  O,  I  wish  that  I  lived  in 
Pittsburg.”  After  this  startling  and  indeed 
rather  surprising  announcement,  she  went  on  to 


86 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


explain  that  she  had  a  great  desire  to  join  the 
Committee  of  Three  Hundred,  which  was  at 
that  time  very  successfully  engaged  in  minis¬ 
tering  to  the  needy  of  Pittsburg’s  poorer  dis¬ 
tricts.  She  seemed  so  sincere  and  was  so  full 
of  enthusiasm  that  I  was  much  impressed,  but 
later  in  the  evening  her  pastor  shook  his  head 
sorrowfully  and  said,  44  It  doesn’t  mean  any¬ 
thing;  she  is  4  flighty  ’;  always  seeing  oppor¬ 
tunities  far  away,  but  she  sadly  lacks  the  will 
to  even  inconvenience  herself  to  do  the  things 
that  often  urgently  call  her  here  at  home.  She 
refused  to  teach  a  Sunday  School  class  because 
she  4  simply  cannot  get  up  so  early  in  the 
morning.’  She  was  our  Junior  Superintend¬ 
ent  for  a  brief  period,  but  resigned  because 
the  children  4  got  on  her  nerves.’  She  sings 
in  the  choir  when  invited  to  sing  a  solo,  and 
she  is  forever  moving  to  Pittsburg  or  some 
other  big  town,  to  do  big  things.  But  she  will 
never  go, — I  guess  that  the  trains  leave  too 
early  for  her.”  And  that  pathetic  young 
woman,  and  I  can  hardly  imagine  a  more 
pathetic  one,  will  never  move  to  Pittsburg 
until  she  learns  to  move  in  her  own  com- 

munitv. 

•/ 

Let  us  examine  the  test  that  conquered  the 
rich  young  ruler.  Looking  upon  the  eager, 
flushed  face  and  loving  the  youth,  Jesus  re¬ 
plied  to  his  ardent  question, 44  What  must  I  do 


THE  ACID  TEST 


87 


to  inherit  eternal  life!  ”  with  44  Go,  sell  all 
that  thou  hast,  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  come, 
follow  me,”  or,  as  St.  Mark  has  it,  4 4  take  up 
the  cross  and  come,  follow  me.”  But  what 
is  the  heart  of  this  command  with  which  Jesus 
answered  his  eager  inquirer!  Does  he  mean 
that  every  rich  young  man  must  give  away  his 
possessions,  all  that  he  has,  to  inherit  eternal 
life!  or  that  by  merely  giving  possessions  one 
may  come  into  the  riches  of  Heaven!  I  do  not 
think  so.  Certainly  God’s  favor  cannot  be 
purchased  with  gold,  and  some  of  us  have  seen 
the  evil  that  results  from  the  indiscriminate, 
thoughtless  bestowal  of  wealth  upon  those 
who  have  not  earned  it,  and  who  have  no  famil¬ 
iarity  with  its  proper  uses. 

My  conclusion  from  the  lesson  is  that  Jesus 
was  strikingly  teaching,  stating  vividly,  the 
great  principles  of  stewardship,  that  he  was 
telling  the  rich  young  man  that  his  possessions 
were  not  his  absolutely,  arbitrarily,  that  they 
were  his  in  trust,  not  to  be  abused  but  to  be 
used,  not  to  be  hoarded  but  to  be  shared.  And 
knowing  the  heart  of  the  young  man,  this  par¬ 
ticular  young  man,  his  weakness  as  well  as  the 
strength  he  acknowledged,  Jesus  said,  44  Go.” 
44  You  go  and  sell  all  that  you  have  and  give 
to  the  poor.”  And  we  shall  see  presently  that 
he  was  thinking,  not  of  the  young  man’s 
wealth  primarily,  but  of  the  young  man’s  soul, 


88 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


for  the  reading  of  the  whole  lesson  leaves  us 
no  other  alternative  hut  to  conclude  that  this 
man’s  god  was  his  gold. 

Whether  Jesus  is  speaking  to  you  as  he 
spoke  to  the  rich  young  ruler,  or  not,  depends 
altogether  upon  your  attitude  toward  life ;  de¬ 
pends  upon  your  ambitions  and  your  treas¬ 
ures.  For  to  each  individual  Jesus  addresses 
himself  in  terms  of  that  individual’s  strength 
and  weakness,  need  and  opportunity. 

As  for  the  rich  young  man,  sympathize  with 
him  and  at  least  try  to  understand  him  before 
condemning  him.  Not  long  since  I  talked  with 
the  wealthy  parents  of  a  young  fellow  who  had 
been  kept  unusually  free  from  the  evils  that 
money  too  quickly  invites.  They  are  Chris¬ 
tians  and  eager  beyond  all  things  else  to  have 
their  son  remain  loyal  to  his  fine  standards 
and  wholesome  ideals  of  work  and  pleasure. 
As  we  sat  together  I  was  led  to  say  that  in  my 
judgment  parents  of  wealth  have  to-day  a 
more  appalling  task  to  rear  sons  and  daughters 
who  will  be  true  to  the  old-fashioned  and  fun¬ 
damental  virtues,  an  asset  to  society,  and  a 
credit  to  those  who  bear  them,  than  the  par¬ 
ents  who  fought  against  the  odds  of  actual 
poverty  to  clothe,  feed,  educate,  Americanize 
and  Christianize  some  of  us.  Yes,  the  homes 
of  wealth  and  their  children  face  peculiarly 
difficult  odds  and  temptations.  No  wonder 


THE  ACID  TEST 


89 


Jesus  spoke  as  lie  did  concerning  tlie  effort  the 
rich  must  make  to  enter  the  kingdom,  and  here 
again  I  prefer  the  fuller  statement  of  Mark, 
4  ‘  How  hard  it  is  for  those  who  put  their  trust 
in  riches,  to  enter.  ’  ’ 

It  is  hard  because  riches  have  a  separating 
influence  upon  men ;  tempt  them  to  draw  away 
from  their  fellows ;  from  the  needs  of  their  less 
fortunate  brethren, — tempt  them,  too,  to  spend 
less  time  with  real  and  vital  things. 

It  is  hard  because  riches  have  a  self-satisfy¬ 
ing  influence.  The  poor  have  always  a  vivid 
basis  for  their  religion  in  their  daily  needs;  the 
physical  needs  of  the  rich  are  instantly  sup¬ 
plied.  It  is  an  historical  fact  that  in  times  of 
financial  reverse  religion  prospers,  and  I  have 
seen  homes  of  wealth  that  on  being  impover¬ 
ished  became  again  houses  of  prayer.  Even 
when  the  rich  feel  the  dissatisfaction  of  heart- 
hunger  and  soul-longing,  there  is  a  tendency 
to  trust  in  riches,  to  experiment  with  a  thou¬ 
sand  hopeless  devices, — travel,  pleasure,  art, 
even  philanthropy,  in  the  effort  to  secure  the 
peace  and  satisfaction  that  no  Croesus  has  ever 
had  gold  refined  enough  to  buy. 

And  it  is  hard,  because  riches  have  a  ten¬ 
dency  to  harden.  Some  who  in  the  days  of 
their  struggles  and  uncertainty  were  generous, 
become  in  their  affluence  indifferent  and  turn 
a  deaf  ear  to  the  call  of  need.  Amundsen,  the 


90 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


discoverer  of  the  South  Pole,  and  famous  Arc¬ 
tic  explorer  as  well,  has  written  that  the  Esqui¬ 
mau  in  his  native  state,  when  his  very  life 
depends  upon  the  promptness  of  the  spring 
and  the  return  of  the  seal,  the  success  of  the 
hunt,  shares  the  scanty  stores  of  his  poverty 
with  a  generosity  and  pride  that  are  the  chief 
virtues  of  the  north,  hut  that  as  he  becomes 
less  dependent  and  more  prosperous,  and  as  he 
comes  to  know  the  white  men  and  their  ways, 
he  takes  to  locking  up  his  rude  treasures  and 
hoarding  his  food.  The  open-handedness  of 
native  virtue  is  replaced  by  the  covetousness 
of  competitive  civilization. 

That  the  rich  have  often  been  hardened  by 
being  taken  advantage  of  by  the  poor,  is  only 
too  painfully  a  fact,  and  the  assumption  that 
in  any  dispute  he  is  right  because  he  is  poor, 
or  wrong  because  he  is  rich,  is  a  bitterness- 
provoking  fallacy.  But  human  experience 
fully  justifies  Jesus  in  the  clear  statement  of 
the  difficulties  that  the  rich  have  to  achieve 
the  eternal  bliss  that  came  so  promptly  to  the 
beggar  Lazarus. 

Let  us  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact,  however, 
that  the  Son  of  God  was  thinking  in  terms  of 
the  temptations  of  riches,  and  not  of  riches  as 
evil  per  se.  That  this  was  his  thought  is 
clearly  revealed  to  all  who  complete  the  lesson. 
Startled  and  amazed  at  what  at  first  seemed 


THE  ACID  TEST 


91 


his  revolutionary  declaration,  a  declaration 
which  seemed  absolutely  to  close  the  gates  of 
heaven  to  the  rich,  the  disciples  ejaculated, 
“  Who  then  can  be  saved!  ”  And  Jesus 
answers,  “  With  man  this  thing  is  impossible; 
but  with  God  all  things  are  possible.  ’  ’  To-day 
many  men  and  women  of  wealth  are  demon¬ 
strating  Christ's  words,  are  blessing  mankind 
with  their  wealth;  their  prosperity  has  become 
the  advantage  of  many;  they  are  actually 
doing  what  the  rest  of  us,  were  we  in  their 
places,  might  or  might  not  do.  They  are  con¬ 
quering  the  temptations  to  selfishness.  They 
are,  by  God’s  grace,  meeting  the  acid  test  that 
the  rich  young  ruler  was  not  sufficient  for. 

I  have  no  desire  to  see  those  who  have  much 
and  are  administering  it  as  just  stewards,  be¬ 
come  poorer.  Nor  do  I  believe  that  our  socialilis 
and  political  evils  would  be  cured  by  the  con¬ 
fiscation  of  wealth.  I  do  wish  that  those  who 
have  needs  beyond  their  means  possessed 
more,  and  I  do  believe  that  only  by  the  equal 
distribution  of  opportunity  and  privilege,  that 
only  upon  the  Christian  basis  that  recognizes 
brotherhood  as  fundamental  to  peace,  pros¬ 
perity  and  happiness,  will  we  adjust  and 
finally  perfect  our  social  order.  To-day  we  are 
not  meeting  the  strain  that  time  and  change 
have  placed  upon  us.  To  solve  the  growing 
problem,  rich  and  poor  must  somehow  find  a 


92 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


way  to  labor  side  by  side,  for  all  must  work 
together. 

As  to  Christ’s  attitude  toward  property  and 
wealth,  certainly  he  never  intimated  that  in 
itself  property  has  any  rights.  Rights  belong 
to  man, — to  children,  to  women  and  men.  It 
is  at  this  point  that  much  of  our  economic 
error  originates.  Rut  let  it  not  be  forgotten 
that  children  and  women  and  men  do  have 
rights, — inalienable  rights, — life,  liberty,  hap¬ 
piness, — and  rights,  too,  in  their  possessions, — 
that  they  have  property  rights  which  cannot 
be  despised  or  repudiated  without  inviting 
physical,  economic,  social  and  moral  disaster. 

But  the  real  test,  the  acid  test,  that  Jesus 
laid  down  for  the  rich  young  ruler  was  not  in 
“Go,  sell  *  *  *  and  give.”  This  was  the 

prelude.  “  Take  up  the  cross  and  come,  fol¬ 
low  me, 9  9  were  the  words  of  the  supreme  chal¬ 
lenge  to  his  stamina  and  courage.  The  essen¬ 
tial  duty  is  not  poverty  or  riches,  but  obedi¬ 
ence.  All  who  reach  the  heights  must  obey, 
for  obedience  is  not  optional,  and  law  is  inex¬ 
orable.  There  are  no  exceptions,  and  in  terms 
of  Christian  character  and  achievement  obedi¬ 
ence  means  “  surrender  99  all  and  follow  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  rich  young  ruler  failed  in  the  final  test. 
Only  one  thing  he  lacked,  but  that  failure  was 
fatal;  that  failure  vitiated  the  whole  calcula- 


THE  ACID  TEST 


93 


tion.  I  may  have  sound  lungs  and  a  perfect 
digestive  system,  but  if  my  heart  refuses  to 
function,  I  die,  and  so  it  is  with  one  vice  or 
one  vital  weakness.  General  Grant  said  that 
as  to  music,  he  had  everything  but  the  musi¬ 
cian’s  ear,  but  that  failing  that,  he  could  not 
distinguish  the  “  Star-Spangled  Banner  ” 
from  “  Yankee-doodle-do.”  There  are  many 
who  but  for  the  one  thing  lacking  might  have 
served  and  greatly  blessed  mankind;  as  it  was, 
their  one  failure  was  fatal  and  they  lie  for¬ 
gotten,  or  stand  hopelessly  on  the  plains  of 
disappointment. 

What  is  the  message  of  this  lesson  for  us! 
To  every  man,  to  every  life,  there  comes  sooner 
or  later,  the  supreme  test.  I  may  turn  away 
sorrowful,  or  trusting  in  Jesus  Christ  for 
strength,  I  may  go  forward  to  triumph,  but 
the  test  I  cannot  evade.  For  me,  as  for  the 
rich  young  ruler,  it  is  Gold  or  God. 

Young  people,  you  especially  must  prepare 
to  meet  the  test;  prepare  now!  Prepare  in 
body,  mind  and  soul.  Prepare  by  meeting 
squarely  every  minor  trial  as  it  comes,  by  re¬ 
fusing  to  deny  truth  when  truth  itself  seems 
unexacting;  prepare  in  little  things  for  the 
greater  issue  soon  to  be  joined. 

See  to  it  that  when  the  last  dash  for  the  pole 
of  your  ambition  is  at  hand,  your  health  is 
unimpaired  by  evil  living;  your  muscles  steel, 


94 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


your  blood  clean,  your  body  sound.  Fill  the 
chambers  of  your  mind  with  wholesome 
thoughts;  turn  from  lascivious  spectacles  and 
neurotic  books,  as  you  would  shun  a  pestilence 
for  you  are  moving  toward  your  great  ordeal 
and  he  is  doomed  to  fail  who  is  not  fit. 

Above  all,  stand  by  to  take  aboard  the  pilot 
of  your  soul,  for  only  God  can  bring  you  to  the 
anchorage  beyond  the  narrows  of  selfishness 
and  the  straits  of  sin. 

And  now  the  final  word :  What  is  your  test  ? 
What  does  the  great  Teacher,  the  good  Mas¬ 
ter,  say  to  you?  Does  he  say,  “  Go,  sell  all 
that  you  have,”  or  “  Turn  from  that  secret 
sin,”  or  “  Sacrifice  that  dear  ambition,”  or 
“  Rise  above  that  blinding  sorrow,”  or 
“  Leave  behind  that  memory  of  defeat,”  or 
“  Change  your  life  of  selfish  pleasure  to  one 
of  ministry  ”?  What  is  your  test?  What  are 
his  words  to  you?  They  may  be  these  or  none 
of  these,  but  these  I  know  they  are:  “  Take 
up  the  cross;  surrender  all;  follow  me.” 

One  afternoon  at  the  close  of  a  Lenten  ser¬ 
vice  in  Philadelphia,  a  young  man  grasped  my 
hand, — a  man  who  was  to  me  as  one  risen  from 
the  dead.  Eight  years  before,  at  the  close  of 
a  men’s  mass  meeting  in  Detroit,  I  met  him 
first.  Later  I  spent  an  hour  with  him  in  the 
hospital  where  he  was  pursuing  special  inves¬ 
tigations  and  serving  as  an  interne.  I  found 


THE  AGED  TEST 


95 


him  in  deep  trouble.  Under  appointment  to 
China  as  a  medical  missionary,  and  in  the 
mind  of  his  Board  already  beginning  the  im¬ 
portant  and  vital  work  to  which  he  was  as¬ 
signed,  he  found  himself  in  the  valley  of  inde¬ 
cision.  China  was  far  away,  uncertain,  and 
for  a  hundred  reasons  increasingly  unattrac¬ 
tive.  America,  from  the  professional  stand¬ 
point  alone,  was  most  alluring.  He  had  just 
begun  his  research  work;  great  institutions 
had  opened  their  laboratories  to  him;  the 
future  made  exceptional  promises,  and  then 
there  were  ties  of  love  and  home  that  he 
had  never  before  fully  realized.  It  was  his 
acid  test,  and  he  did  not  turn  away.  He  went 
to  China. 

Presently  I  heard  bits  of  news.  Then  came 
longer  stories,  and  then  a  lengthening  record 
of  service,  until  a  great  communion  and  the 
nation  knew  of  the  surgeon’s  skill,  the  chem¬ 
ist’s  genius,  the  executive’s  brilliancy,  the 
prophet’s  passion  that  had  established  a  great 
hospital  and  laboratory  which  were  as  a  city 
of  refuge  to  the  millions  of  a  Province  that  lay 
steeped  in  ignorance  and  festering  with  dis¬ 
ease.  His  scalpel  and  trencher  were  wands  of 
magic; — the  blind  saw,  the  deaf  heard,  the 
lame  walked,  and  pain  that  for  ten  thousand 
years  had  held  unchallenged  sway  upon  the 


96 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


liills  of  old  Hunan  made  terms  with  this,  an¬ 
other  rich  young  ruler. 

The  Revolution  had  no  terrors  for  him; 
skirmishes  in  the  streets  and  guerrilla  fighting 
between  the  north  and  south  only  caused  his 
ministering  fingers  to  fly  the  faster;  his  wards 
were  full,  and  to  him,  whatever  flags  they  fol¬ 
lowed,  all  who  suffered  were  as  brothers.  Then 
came  the  great  offensive,  the  hospital  itself 
was  in  danger.  The  young  surgeon  reluctantly 
left  the  operating  room  and  planted  himself  on 
the  threshold  of  the  door  of  hope  he  had 
opened  to  a  struggling  race.  Like  a  lion- 
hearted  warder  of  old  he  “  kept  ”  the  gate, 
and  when  the  danger  was  past,  and  the  great 
institution  saved,  his  body  bore  wounds  as 
heroic  as  ever  opened  the  veins  of  a  man. 

Do  you  wonder  that  my  heart  leaped  when  I 
clasped  his  hand  again.  By  the  way  of  self- 
renunciation  he  had  reached  the  heights  of  op¬ 
portunity,  and  the  choice  that  seemed  at  first 
to  bury  his  life,  released  it.  He  had  found 
satisfaction  in  sacrifice,  happiness  in  hardness, 
peace  in  peril;  his  hand  was  the  hand  of  a  man 
who  had  met  the  acid  test, — the  hand  of  a  con¬ 
queror. 

K  Since  I  must  fight  if  I  would  reign, 

Increase  my  courage,  Lord. 

I’ll  bear  the  cross,  endure  the  pain, 

Supported  by  Thy  word.’’ 


VIII 


THE  DEPTHS  OF  DESPAIR 

DESPAIR  is  defined  as  that  state  of 
being  in  which  hope  has  entirely  de¬ 
parted,  or  as  Dante  has  said,  “  It  is 
the  damp  of  hell  as  joy  is  the  serenity  of 
heaven.”  The  depths  of  despair  are  vividly 
described  by  the  apostle  Paul,  u  We  were 
pressed  out  of  measure,  above  strength,”  or, 
literally,  “we  were  weighed  down  exceedingly, 
beyond  our  power,  insomuch  that  we  despaired 
even  of  life.”  The  depths  of  despair  may  not 
be  compared  with  any  other  experiences  of 
physical  or  spiritual  suffering,  for  they  differ 
from  and  are  unutterably  deeper  than  any 
other  abyss  of  human  woe. 

They  are  deeper  than  the  depths  of  pain.  I 
have  seen  a  man’s  body  drawn  by  the  agonies 
of  incurable  disease  until  it  was  bent  into  a 
half  circle;  his  joints  were  slowly  solidifying, 
and  the  fever  ran  through  his  system  like 
flames  from  the  regions  of  the  damned.  But 
he  yet  fought  for  life ;  he  hoped  to  recover ;  he 
did  not  despair. 

They  are  deeper  than  the  depths  of  grief. 

97 


98 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


I  have  stood  with  a  father  and  his  motherless 
children,  by  an  open  tomb,  while  the  chill 
winds  tore  the  last  leaves  from  the  maples, 
and  the  fog  came  up  with  the  hastened  twi¬ 
light  of  a  grey  October  day,  but  the  voices  of 
the  choir  sang,  “  Home  of  the  soul,”  and  in 
the  eyes  of  the  mourners  was  the  light  that 
tears  have  never  dimmed,  while  the  preacher 
read,  “  Weeping  may  endure  for  a  night,  but 
joy  cometh  in  the  morning.” 

They  are  deeper  than  the  depths  of  per¬ 
plexity.  We  may  be  uncertain  of  our  way, 
and  future,  in  grave  and  well-nigh  overwhelm¬ 
ing  doubt,  but  the  fact  that  we  doubt  is  proof 
conclusive  that  we  do  not  yet  despair.  As 
Paul  testifies  in  the  eighth  verse  of  the  fourth 
chapter  of  this  same  letter,  “  troubled,  dis¬ 
tressed,  perplexed,  but  not  in  despair,”  or, 
accepting  the  literal  translation  of  the  orig¬ 
inal,  66  at  a  loss,  but  not  utterly  at  a  loss.” 

The  depths  of  despair  are  deeper  than  dis¬ 
aster.  I  threaded  my  way  through  the  ruins 
of  San  Francisco  after  the  earthquake  and 
fire ;  the  proud  city  was  a  smouldering  waste ; 
her  great  buildings  were  heaps  of  smoking 
debris,  or  skeletons  of  twisted  steel,  her  very 
streets  had  fallen  from  their  former  levels. 
Here  and  there  groups  of  men  searched 
through  the  ashes  for  safes  and  strong-boxes, 
while  women  with  children  crying  at  their 


THE  DEPTH  OF  DESPAIR 


99 


skirts  waited  patiently  for  the  food  wagons. 
The  sight  was  one  to  appall  even  the  stoutest 
hearts.  But  to-day  the  hills  that  reflect  the 
glory  of  the  sunsets  that  flood  through  Golden 
Gate  are  crowned  with  fairer  temples  than 
before,  and  the  thoroughfares  are  thronged 
with  richer  commerce,  for  San  Francisco, 
crushed  to  earth,  rose  again. 

The  depths  of  despair  are  deeper  than  the 
depths  of  defeat.  It  was  March,  1918.  The 
Fifth  British  Army  had  been  annihilated. 
The  Allies,  for  a  terrifying  hour,  had  been 
separated  from  each  other.  Back,  back,  and 
ever  backward  the  lines  had  been  forced,  until 
they  were  bending  behind  Mt.  Kemmel,  and 
the  great  guns  of  the  enemy  dropped  their 
iron  death  at  the  very  doorway  of  England’s 
mighty  bases.  The  last  reserves  had  been  ex¬ 
hausted,  the  road  lay  open  to  Paris ;  the  Chan¬ 
nel  Ports,  the  heart  of  France.  It  was  defeat, 
defeat,  stark  and  terrible,  from  St.  Miliiel  to 
the  sea.  But  it  was  not  disaster,  for  there 
above  the  words  of  dread,  the  cries  of  fear, 
arose  a  shout  the  like  of  which  this  earth  had 
never  heard  before.  It  was  the  travail  cry  of 
nations  in  new  birth.  “  They  shall  not  pass !  ” 
and  in  defeat  Foch  struck  and  victory  was 
won. 

The  depths  of  despair  are  deeper  than  the 
depths  of  death.  Death  may  be  beautiful  and 


100 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


glad.  I  have  watched  her  pass  in  glory,  trip¬ 
ping  forward  on  the  dawn,  and  I  have  seen  the 
dying  smile,  their  eyes  alight  with  recogni¬ 
tion,  as  though  they  claimed  old  friends  again, 
and  passed  with  them  to  pleasant  places. 
Deeper  than  the  depths  of  death.  Ah  yes,  for 
those  who  die  need  not  despair,  and  death  to 
many  is  relief,  to  all  it  may  he  everlasting  life 
in  joy.  4  4  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  its  val¬ 
ley  and  its  shadow,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou 
art  with  me.” 

No,  despair  may  not  be  compared  with  any 
other  ordeal  or  tragedy  of  human  experience. 
Deeper  and  more  terrible  than  pain  or  sor¬ 
row,  or  disaster,  defeat  or  loss,  it  stands  in 
suffering  and  woe  alone.  Indeed,  some  who 
have  come  into  it  have  sought  to  leave  it  by 
a  forced  march  to  the  grave;  to  escape  its 
terrors  they  have  deliberately  opened  their 
arms  to  death;  but  for  a  life  of  despair  they 
have  come  into  an  eternity  of  it.  No  man  has 
ever  climbed  out  of  these  depths  by  the  rope 
of  self-murder.  That  way  is  the  way  of  weak¬ 
ness  and  cowardice.  It  is  essentially  the 
choice  of  selfishness,  and  abhorrent  to  every 
right  instinct.  "We  may  well  doubt  whether 
any  who  choose  it  retain  the  command  of  their 
godlike  faculties.  Self-destruction  if  ever  the 
decision  of  a  responsible  creature,  is  blas¬ 
phemy,  and  a  denial  of  God,  who  said,  4  4  Cast 


THE  DEPTH  OF  DESPAIR 


101 


your  care  upon  me,”  and  “  my  grace  is  suf¬ 
ficient  for  you.” 

One  of  the  two  principal  questions  confront¬ 
ing  us  is,  “  How  do  men  and  women  get  into 
the  depths  of  despair?  ” 

Some  by  merely  magnifying  their  real  or 
fancied  troubles;  it  is  not  difficult  to  become 
morose,  melancholy,  despairing,  if  we  live  en¬ 
tirely  within  ourselves,  treasuring  small  griev¬ 
ances,  victimizing  ourselves  with  self-pity, 
multiplying  our  troubles  instead  of  counting 
our  blessings.  A  great  many  of  us  need  to 
learn  how  to  play  Pollyanna’s  “  Glad  Game.” 
“  Pack  up  your  troubles  in  your  old  kit-bag, 
and  smile,  smile,  smile!  ”  There  are  mighty 
few  of  us  who  are  not  able  to  think  of  other 
people,  who  are  more  unfortunate  than  we 
are.  There  has  never  been  a  time  in  my  life, 
sick  or  well,  strong  or  suffering,  when  I  have 
not  known  others  in  straits  far  more  desperate' 
than  mine.  “  Sometimes,”  as  Charron  wrote, 
“  despair  is  like  forward  children,  who  when 
you  take  away  one  of  their  playthings,  throw 
the  rest  into  the  fire  for  very  madness;  it 
grows  angry  with  itself,  turns  its  own  execu¬ 
tioner,  and  revenges  its  misfortunes  upon  its 
own  head.” 

But  there  is  no  gainsaying  the  fact  that  men 
and  women,  strong  men  and  women,  do  come 
to  despair,  do  fall  into  its  very  depths.  Paul 


102 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


was  no  weakling;  in  all  history  there  have 
been  few  characters  as  dynamic  and  resource¬ 
ful  as  his.  Physical  fear  was  a  stranger  to 
him,  and  morally  he  was  as  courageous  as  a 
lion.  His  writings  abound  in  messages  of 
cheer  and  inspiration  to  the  troubled.  His 
whole  life  was  a  challenge  to  discourage¬ 
ment,  but  now  we  hear  him  say,  “  I  am 
pressed  out  of  measure,  above  my  strength, 
I  am  weighed  down  exceedingly  above  my 
power, — I  despair  even  of  life.” 

In  some  of  the  less  familiar  fragments  of 
authenticated  history  that  have  come  down  to 
us  concerning  the  early  life  of  the  immortal 
Lincoln,  is  the  record  of  grief  so  deep,  despair 
so  overwhelming,  that  twice  his  reason  tot¬ 
tered  and  his  matchless  mind  refused  to  func¬ 
tion  with  his  will.  On  one  of  these  occasions 
he  went  to  Kentucky,  and  was  absent  from  an 
entire  session  of  the  Illinois  Legislature.  But 
out  of  these  depths  abysmal  Abraham  Lincoln 
came  to  give  liberty  a  new  birth  of  freedom 
and  to  be  the  saviour  of  his  country. 

It  was  Jesus  who  cried  from  the  cross, 
“  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken 
me?  ” 

Indeed,  it  would  seem  that  the  deepest 
depths  of  despair  have  ever  been  reserved  for 
the  strong  and  great;  for  the  brave  and  just; 
for  the  true  and  righteous;  for  the  clean  of 


THE  DEPTH  OE  DESPAIR 


103 


mind  and  the  pure  of  heart.  Grief,  pain,  re¬ 
jection,  the  sin  and  shame  of  loved  ones  in 
themselves  are  not  despair,  but  by  them,  as 
the  result  of  them,  men  and  women  have 
found  its  depths.  How  helpless  we  are  in  the 
presence  of  a  tragedy  that  has  bowed  a  proud 
and  noble  head;  crushed  an  imperial  spirit; 
words  are  hopeless,  meaningless;  the  very 
cruelty  of  the  blow,  the  seeming  bald  injustice 
of  the  visitation,  leaves  us  overwhelmed  and 
silent. 

But  there  are  those  who  come  to  despair  by 
ways  of  their  own  choosing,  by  wilful  acts  of 
evil;  by  following  trails  of  selfishness;  by 
wasting  health  and  happiness  in  sordid  lustful 
pleasures ;  by  robbing  others  of  just  profits,  or 
what  is  infinitely  more  valuable,  virtue  and 
honour.  It  was  the  fire  of  such  flames  that 
scorched  the  soul  of  Cardinal  Wolsey  until  in 
agonizing  remorse  he  cried  out,  “  Vain  pomp 
and  glory  of  this  world,  I  hate  thee;  I  feel 
my  heart  new  opened.  Had  I  but  served  my 
God  with  half  the  zeal  that  I  have  served  my 
king,  He  would  not  have  left  me  weary  and 
old  with  service  to  the  mercy  of  a  rude  stream 
which  must  forever  hide  me.” 

And,  perhaps,  most  pitiable  of  all,  are  those 
who  are  driven  to  despair;  the  hopeless  vic¬ 
tims  of  the  wilfulness  or  sins  of  others.  One 
of  life’s  enigmas,  one  of  time’s  great  unan- 


104' 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


swered  questions,  lies  here.  The  mother  on 
the  rack  of  hopeless  grief  because  of  the  son 
who  slouched  in  terror  to  his  death  upon  the 
gallows ;  the  wife  who  finds  the  convincing  evi¬ 
dence  of  her  husband’s  perfidy;  the  Saviour 
who  discovers  his  salvation  despised  and  re¬ 
jected  of  men. 

“  O  grim  despair,  thou  art  the  final  death. 

Than  thee  there  is  no  night  beyond; 

Thou  art  the  bottomness  of  Hell.” 

It  is  here  that  ancient  philosophy  stopped, 
and  ancient  religion  hopelessly  floundered. 
The  great  and  wise  were  able  to  chart  the  way 
into  the  depths,  but  they  never  found  the  way 
out.  Even  Socrates  had  no  dissertation  on 
“  Up  from  Despair,’ ’  and  speaking  to  his 
faithful  friends  just  before  he  drank  the  hem¬ 
lock,  in  a  masterful  reaching  out  after  the  un¬ 
known  God,  that  Plato  has  immortalized,  he 
tells  his  disciples  that  whether  he,  about  to 
die,  possesses,  or  they  who  will  live  on,  pos¬ 
sess,  the  better  part,  he  does  not  know. 

To-night  the  only  real  issue  before  us  be¬ 
gins  where  Socrates  retired,  and  has  to  do 
with  escaping  from  despair.  The  vital  ques¬ 
tion  is,  not  how  to  fall  into  it,  but  how  to  get 
out  of  its  depths.  Many  plans  have  been  pro¬ 
posed  and  tried  by  many  people.  Some  have 
said,  we  will  forget, — but  who  ever  has? 
While  reason  survives,  memory  is  not  subject 


THE  DEPTH  OE  DESPAIR 


105 


to  the  will,  the  deep  things  of  life  remain  part 
of  our  consciousness.  We  may  repudiate 
them;  we  may  deny  their  existence,  but  there 
is  small  comfort  in  self-deception  and  even 
when  we  tell  it  to  ourselves,  there  is  no  lasting 
consolation  in  a  lie.  I  do  not  imagine  that  an 
ostrich  with  his  head  in  the  sand  gets  much 
enjoyment  out  of  his  position,  and  as  to  peace 
or  security,  he  achieves  neither. 

To  attempt  to  ‘lift  yourself  out  of  despair 
by  sheer  strength  of  will,  by  your  own  unaided 
grace  and  courage,  is  like  raising  yourself  by 
your  own  bootstraps,  and  as  for  the  assistance 
of  friends,  they  are  as  you  are,  unless  they 
have  gone  beyond  their  own  lives  for  power. 
No,  for  the  supreme  ordeals  of  life,  for  the 
catastrophes  of  human  experience,  to  escape 
the  depths  of  despair,  our  rescue,  our  succor, 
comes  not  from  within,  nor  from  without,  but 
from  above;  comes  from  the  same  unfailing 
source  of  supply  whence  came  the  relief  that 
comforted  Jesus  in  the  Garden.  It  comes 
from  God,  from  God  who  in  the  language  of 
Paul,  “  doth  deliver.”  Was  not  the  early 
father  of  the  church  profoundly  correct  when 
he  wrote,  “It  is  impossible  for  that  man  to 
despair,  who  remembers  that  his  helper  is 
omnipotent 

But  the  assistance  that  came  to  Jesus  in 
Gethsemane  did  not  blot  out  the  griefs  of  His 


106 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


past;  did  not  remove  from  Him  the  burdens 
of  the  present.  The  angels  sent  from  the 
Father  with  comfort  on  their  breasts  and 
healing  in  their  wings,  did  not  take  Christ 
back  to  Palm  Sunday;  His  steps  were  not  re¬ 
traced;  the  Heavenly  visitants  came  to  make 
Him  strong  to  carry  on,  and  from  the  cry, 
“  Let  this  cup  pass  ”  He  rose  to  say,  “  Never¬ 
theless,  thy  will,  not  mine,  be  done.” 

The  way  out  of  the  depths  is  not  the  way 
back,  but  the  way  through.  7 

The  world  is  full  of  despairing  men  and 
women  to-day,  who  are  staggering  under  loads 
too  heavy  to  be  borne;  groping  in  darkness 
blindly,  without  a  guide.  They  will  perish  if 
they  go  on  alone;  no  one  has  ever  found  his 
way  through  Gethsemane  without  divine  as¬ 
sistance.  Even  Jesus  would  have  succumbed 
there,  drowned  in  His  bloody  sweat,  had  He 
not  called  out  to  the  Father.  Hear  David’s 
testimony, — “  Out  of  the  depths  have  I  cried 
unto  thee,  0  God.  My  soul  waiteth  for  the 
Lord,  more  than  they  that  watch  for  the 
morning, — more  than  they  that  watch  for  the 
morning,”  and  again,  4 4  He  rebuked  the  Red 
Sea  and  it  was  dried  up,  so  he  led  them 
through  the  depths  as  through  the  wilder¬ 
ness.”  “  As  through  the  wilderness,”  and 
what  a  picture  of  desolation  and  misery  the 
Psalmist  calls  up,  for  until  Israel  turned  her 


THE  DEPTH  OR  DESPAIR 


107 


feet  from  paths  of  her  own  choosing,  to  plant 
them  in  the  chosen  way  of  God,  how  hope¬ 
lessly  she  wandered.  For  forty  years  she 
groped  in  blindness  until  she  had  buried  the 
children  of  two  generations  in  the  deserts 
westward  from  the  Jordan. 

There  is  a  message  of  hope  and  assurance 
to  those  and  only  to  those  who  cry  to  God  out 
of  the  depths.  To  such  as  cry,  the  words 
of  Fielding  come  with  peculiar  significance: 
“  Considering  the  unforeseen  events  in  the 
world,  we  should  he  taught,  that  no  human 
condition  should  inspire  with  absolute  de¬ 
spair.”  If  we  put  our  trust  in  God  and  call 
upon  Him,  whatever  our  state  may  be,  He  will 
answer  us.  He  cannot  deny  himself,  and  He 
has  said,  “  Call  upon  me,”  and  u  Ask  and  ye 
shall  receive.”  To  our  sorrow  He  will  bring 
resignation;  to  our  agony  of  mind  He  will 
bring  relief;  to  our  weakness  He  will  bring 
courage;  and  faith  will  break  the  bondage  of 
despair. 

Out  of  her  own  rich  experience  Lady  Bless- 
ington  wrote,  “  Religion  converts  despair 
which  destroys,  into  resignation,  which  sub¬ 
mits,”  and  she  might  also  have  said,  “  into 
resignation  which  accepts,  turns  into  power 
that  we  may  press  forward,  to  come  off  more 
than  conquerours  through  Christ.” 

Were  I  to  utterly  despair,  I  would  not  only 


108 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


doubt  and  deny  the  sufficiency  of  divine  grace, 
but  I  would  place  a  limit  upon  God;  I  would 
measure  him  and  judge  him  by  myself;  I 
would  limit  his  “  infinite  power  to  my  finite 
apprehensions.” 

And  it  is  here  that  so  many  go  astray;  not 
being  able  to  understand,  they  refuse  to  ac¬ 
cept  ;  because  no  human  explanations  are 
available,  they  reject.  A  God  that  I  could  ex¬ 
plain  would  be  no  rock  for  a  weary  land;  a 
Jehovah  that  I  could  fully  comprehend  would 
be  no  adequate  shelter  in  the  time  of  storm. 
A  Saviour  who  could  be  reduced  to  the  com¬ 
ponent  parts  of  a  test-tube  demonstration 
might  be  interesting,  as  an  experiment,  but 
who  then  would  save  us  from  our  sins?  It 
will  take  eternity  for  us  to  begin  to  know  the 
omniscient,  the  omnipresent,  the  omnipotent 
God.  And  He  it  is  who  hears  us  when  we  call 
upon  Him;  who  holds  us  fast  and  leads  us 
through. 

One  of  the  finest  stories  ever  told  is  the  an¬ 
swer  of  George  Washington  to  a  certain  de¬ 
spairing  staff  officer.  It  was  the  darkest  hour 
of  the  Revolution ;  everywhere  the  British 
were  triumphant.  In  a  moment  of  utter  pesJ 
simism  the  general  whose  stout  heart  had  at 
last  failed  him,  cried  out,  “  We  are  lost!  All 
is  lost!  ”  And  in  one  of  those  inspirations 
that  seem  born  of  Heaven,  George  Washing- 


THE  DEPTH  OF.  DESPAIR 


109 


ton  replied,  “  Sir,  you  do  not  know  the  re¬ 
sources  and  the  genius  of  liberty.” 

Are  you  in  the  depths?  Are  you  crying  out 
in  your  despair,  “  Lost!  All  is  lost!  ”?  Then, 
sir,  you  do  not  know  the  resources  and  the 
genius  of  God. 


IX 


THE  HEIGHTS  OF  HAPPINESS 


i4lT  IIT  APPINESS  is  a  state  of  being  more 
I  or  less  permanent  in  which  a  large 

A  measure  or  the  full  complement  of 
satisfaction  especially  of  the  higher  intellec¬ 
tual  and  moral  kind  is  experienced.”  This  is 
one  of  Webster’s  answers  to  the  question, 
What  is  happiness!  Happiness  is  ultimate 
blessedness  and  consists  both  in  what  we  have 
and  in  what  we  do  not  have,  for  fundamentally 
it  lies  in  our  mental  and  spiritual  attitude 
toward  life,  all  of  life,  its  losses  as  well  as 
its  profits. 

In  one  of  the  sublimest  documents  of  human 
history,  the  words  appear,  “We  hold  these 
truths  to  be  self-evident:  that  all  men  are 
created  equal:  that  they  are  endowed  by  their 
Creator  with  certain  inalienable  rights;  that 
among  these  are  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness.”  Has  it  ever  seemed  strange 
to  you  that  the  writers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  should  have  given  so  great  dis¬ 
tinction  to  “  the  pursuit  of  happiness,”  that 
this  should  have  been  made  one  of  the  great 

triad  of  human  rights?  Life,  liberty,  happi- 

110 


THE  HEIGHTS  OF  HAPPINESS  111 


ness.  Of  life  there  can  be  no  doubt,  for  upon 
it  all  else  depends;  and  against  liberty  no 
argument  appears,  for  who  would  not  rather 
die  than  suffer  chains.  But  why  has  happi¬ 
ness  been  so  exalted? 

Carlyle  once  said,  “  There  is  in  man  a 
higher  love  than  love  of  happiness.”  Have 
we  not  been  warned  against  turning  our  am¬ 
bitions  to  please  ourselves?  Have  we  not 
been  challenged  to  self-denial,  sacrifice  and 
hardness  even  unto  death?  Has  not  the  seeker 
after  happiness  been  held  before  us  as  a  moral 
waster?  There  is  no  conflict  between  ideals 
here;  there  have  been  misunderstandings  and 
differing  interpretations.  Carlyle  was  right. 
“  There  is  in  man  a  higher  love  than  love  of 
happiness.”  Indeed,  as  we  shall  see  pres¬ 
ently,  the  man  who  loves  happiness  for  its 
own  sake  loses  it. 

What  has  been  called  happiness  by  many  is 
not  happiness  at  all,  but  a  counterfeit,  passing 
current  for  a  time,  but  failing  finally  and  re¬ 
pudiated  when  coming  under  the  test. 

What  is  happiness?  Comfort,  satisfaction, 
enjoyment,  all  of  these,  or  perhaps  none  of 
these,  for  it  is  not  conditioned  upon  them. 
And  it  is  to  be  distinguished  from  pleasure, 
for  it  is  more  serene,  more  rational,  and  while 
pleasure  is  transient,  real  happiness  is  abid¬ 
ing  and  eternal.  An  animal  may  experience 


112 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


pleasure,  but  hardly  happiness,  and  we  speak 
of  vicious  pleasures  but  never  of  vicious  hap¬ 
piness. 

There  is  a  real  and  worthy  sense  in  which 
life  is  and  should  be  a  pursuit  of  happiness, 
in  which  all  who  live  well,  live  to  achieve  it. 
Truly,  as  Burns  sang, 

“If  happiness  has  not  her  seat  and  center  in  the  breast, 

He  may  be  wise,  or  rich,  or  great,  but  never  can  be  blest.” 

What  a  background  Thomas  Jefferson  and 
his  associates  had  for  that  phrase  of  their  im¬ 
mortal  document!  “  The  pursuit  of  happi¬ 
ness.’  9  They  were  the  spokesmen  of  a  people 
who  had  made  long  journeys  by  uncharted 
seas  and  unmarked  trails,  to  find  happiness. 
They  had  pursued  it  by  forced  marches  and 
from  far  places.  The  Huguenots  of  France, 
the  Pilgrims  and  the  Quakers  from  England, 
and  the  Dutch  from  Holland,  had  pressed 
toward  it  through  storm  and  wilderness,  over 
imperial  decrees,  and  in  spite  of  the  tomahawk 
of  the  savage.  To  them,  “  the  pursuit  of  hap¬ 
piness  ”  was  no  idle,  no  superficial  phrase, — 
it  was  the  right  to  worship  God  according  to 
the  dictates  of  their  own  consciences,  it  was 
freedom,  it  was  the  irreducible  minimum, 
“  the  least  with  which  we  will  be  satisfied,”  of 
their  unconquerable  souls. 

And  the  Christians  who  went  singing  to 
meet  the  lions  upon  the  bloody  sands  of  the 


THE  HEIGHTS  OF  HAPPINESS  113 


arena,  the  martyrs  who  sank  npon  the  flames 
that  clasped  them  at  the  stake ;  the  soldiers  of 
liberty  who  fell  forward  npon  the  native  soil, 
their  bodies  covered  from  a  tyrant’s  gaze;  the 
adventurers  of  every  worthy  cause  since  time 
began,  were  of  that  innumerable  and  glorious 
company,  that  lived  and  loved,  that  sacrificed 
and  died  in  the  pursuit  of  Happiness. 

How  far  of  the  truth  are  we  when  we  con¬ 
clude  that  hardships,  disappointments,  even 
calamities,  are  inevitable  destroyers  of  happi¬ 
ness?  They  rob  of  comfort;  they  deprive  of 
pleasure,  but  by  severe  and  fateful  dispensa¬ 
tions  the  happiness  of  man  may  be  increased 
and  only  by  the  bruised  feet  of  those  who 
climb  is  the  pathway  to  the  heights  possessed. 

“I  questioned  death;  the  grisly  shade  relaxed  his  brow 
severe, 

And,  ‘  I  am  happiness,’  he  said,  ‘  if  virtue  guides  you 
here.’  ” 

Christ’s  attitude  toward  happiness  is  not 
open  to  question;  His  language  in  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  is  unmistakable.  In  this,  the 
sermon  of  the  ages,  thoughts  and  standards 
for  human  happiness  are  foremost.  With 
J esus,  happiness  is  not  a  subordinate  result  of 
Christianity,  it  is  an  essential  part. 

What  shall  we  say,  then,  of  men  and  women 
who  are  unhappy,  if  they  do  not  have  an  abid¬ 
ing  happiness,  an  undercurrent  of  blessedness, 


114 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


even  in  loss,  in  pain,  in  sorrow,  and  in  death: 
— what  shall  we  say?  Pascal  wrote,  “  Happi¬ 
ness  is  the  nnion  of  ourselves  with  God.” 
Then  when  we  fail  of  having  it,  something  is 
wrong,  fundamentally  wrong  in  our  connec¬ 
tion  with  Him.  To  a  summer  cottage  on  an 
island  of  a  beautiful  New  Hampshire  lake  the 
electric  current  is  conveyed  under  the  water. 
Though  storms  sweep  down  upon  that  tiny 
inland  sea,  and  lash  it  into  sudden  fury, 
though  waters  whip  themselves  to  wrath  above 
it,  the  lights  upon  the  island  shine  serene  and 
undisturbed,  because  that  cable  holds  beneath 
the  boiling  currents,  and  binds  the  island  to 
its  source  of  power. 

There  is  no  secure,  no  abiding  happiness, 
that  casts  its  holding  lines  short  of  Jesus 
Christ,  but  when  he  is  at  the  other  end  of  the 
connection,  there  are  no  storms  that  can  put 
out  the  light  of  peace  and  joy.  “  Human  hap¬ 
piness  has  no  perfect  security  but  freedom, 
freedom  none  but  virtue,  virtue  none  but 
knowledge;  and  neither  freedom,  virtue  nor 
knowledge  has  any  vigour  or  immortal  hope 
except  in  the  principles  of  the  Christian  faith 
and  in  the  sanctions  of  the  Christian  relig¬ 
ion,”  thus  concluded  Josiah  Quincy. 

How  is  happiness  to  be  secured?  What  are 
the  directions  for  those  who  turn  their  feet  to 
the  pursuit  of  it  to-day?  How  many  times  we 


THE  HEIGHTS  OF  HAPPINESS  115 


have  heard  people  say, — how  many  times  we 
have  thought  or  said  ourselves,  4  6  I  have  tried 
so  hard  to  be  contented  and  happy,  but  I  am 
absolutely  miserable.  What  more  can  I  do?  ” 
And  that  is  just  the  trouble.  Do  not  try  to 
be  happy.  Someone  has  said,  “  Happiness  is 
a  sly  nymph.  If  you  chase  her  you  will  never 
catch  her,  but  go  quietly  on  in  the  way  of  duty, 
and  she  will  come  to  you.”  Happiness  is 
never  found  by  those  who  seek  her  for  her 
own  sake.  She  does  not  come  to  those  who 
call  her,  hut  always  she  has  called  to  those 
who  now  possess  her.  She  will  not  stay  with 
a  selfish  heart;  the  password  to  her  castle  is 
“  others,”  and  those  who  win  her  must  share 
her,  for  as  Byron  mused,  “  she  was  born 
a  twin.” 

She  has  never  been  found  by  those  who  seek 
the  gratification  of  their  lust,  and  she  builds 
her  fairest  palaces  for  mothers,  in  the  land  of 
self-denial.  She  is  not  subject  to  place  or 
earthly  circumstance;  mind  and  heart  alone 
can  detain  her,  or  know  the  misery  of  her  de¬ 
parture.  Her  haunts  are  varied,  but  she  is 
found  more  frequently  among  little  children, 
by  home  firesides,  and  in  quiet  places.  I  do 
not  often  hear  her  voice  in  these  crowded, 
jostling  streets,  though  there  is  laughter  and 
singing,  and  when  the  lights  burn  white  at 


116 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


night  the  young  and  old  rush  here  and  there 
in  search  of  her. 

She  is  not  attracted  by  fame,  and  her  car¬ 
riage  waits  at  least  as  often  in  front  of  the 
door  of  the  poor  as  it  does  at  the  entrance  of 
the  rich.  Aesop,  the  slave,  was  far  happier 
than  Croesus,  and  as  for  history,  it  is  not  the 
king  with  his  glittering  hoard  but  the  humble 
philosopher  and  writer  of  fables,  who  is  hon¬ 
oured.  The  idle  rich  are  marionettes  on 
parade,  the  workers,  rich  and  poor,  are  sol¬ 
diers  at  war.  Gold,  joined  by  idleness,  to 
selfishness,  produces  boredom  which  is  the 
exact  antithesis  of  happiness. 

No,  happiness  cannot  be  purchased  and  it 
cannot  be  captured,  but  it  never  fails  to  find 
us  when  sincerely,  unselfishly  and  unrelax- 
ingly  we  consider  and  strive  for  the  happiness 
of  others.  But  neither  is  happiness  to  be 
found  in  passive  acquiescence,  for  it  is  a  posi¬ 
tive,  a  dynamic,  a  constructive  grace  and 
virtue.  It  is  “  a  running  stream  and  not  a 
stagnant  pool.” 

What  does  the  Great  Teacher  have  to  say 
about  the  achieving  of  happiness?  His  lan¬ 
guage  is  direct  and  eloquent.  “  If  you  know 
*  #  #  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  *  * 

Among  the  peculiarly  intimate  words  that 
Jesus  spoke  to  His  disciples  in  the  upper  room 
where  He  instituted  the  Lord’s  Supper,  words 


THE  HEIGHTS  OF  HAPPINESS  117 


which  followed  immediately  after  He  had 
girded  Himself  with  a  towel  and  washed  their 
feet,  are  these  key-words  of  a  great  lesson. 
Immediately  preceding  them  are  “  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  the  servant  is  not 
greater  than  his  lord.”  Then  follows,  “  If 
you  know  these  things,” — •“  these  things!  ” 
all  that  he  has  discoursed  upon  as  they  have 
celebrated  the  Passover,  together,  and  all  that 
he  has  lived  out  before  them,  and  with  them, 
in  the  crowded  three  years  of  his  ministry, — 
words  and  principles  that  while  they  have 
been  often  misunderstood  and  misinterpreted, 
will  never  be  forgotten,  “  These  things,” — 
“  if  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye 
do  them.”  According  to  Jesus,  happiness  lies 
in  both  knowing  and  doing. 

Knowledge  is  power.  “  Ye  shall  know  the 
truth  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free.” 
Does  this  not  suggest  the  reason  why  some  are 
unhappy  and  why  all  are  not  equally  happy? 
Many  have  been  delinquent  in  developing  their 
minds  and  hearts  to  entertain  happiness. 
They  have  had  no  time  and  no  enthusiasm  for 
getting  wisdom,  for  discovering  truth.  Ves¬ 
sels  may  be  equally  full,  but  the  large  holds 
more  than  the  small.  Yea,  knowledge  is 
power,  but  knowledge  alone  is  not  happiness. 
The  man  who  spends  all  of  his  time  in  acquir¬ 
ing  knowledge  finds  himself  at  last  exhausted 


118 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


and  standing  still  with  the  heights  of  happi¬ 
ness  yet  far  away.  There  is  pleasure,  often 
acute  pleasure,  in  acquiring  wisdom.  “  Eu¬ 
reka,”  the  cry  of  Archimedes,  was  a  shout  of 
joy  as  well  as  of  triumph.  But  happiness,  the 
happiness  we  are  considering,  is  more  than  a 
shout,  it  is  a  continuing  experience,  an  abiding 
state.  We  must  not  spend  so  much  time  in 
acquiring  wisdom  that  we  will  have  no  time 
for  using  it. 

During  the  winter  of  1921-’22  there  died  in 
a  city  of  the  state  of  New  York  a  woman 
richly  endowed  by  nature  and  with  a  mind  en¬ 
riched  by  years  of  study  and  travel.  Great 
sorrows  had  not  embittered  her.  Serene  and 
comforted  she  journeyed  through  her  days, 
sharing  herself  with  her  friends  and  minis¬ 
tering  to  a  world  fellowship.  Katrina  Trask 
Peabody  had  one  of  the  most  refined  and 
creative  intellects  of  this  generation,  but  the 
happiness  which  in  spite  of  all  she  suffered 
she  never  lost,  and  never  ceased  to  radiate,  she 
would  never  have  known  had  she  been  satisfied 
with  merely  getting  wisdom.  All  that  she  had 
she  shared.  With  mind  and  soul  and  body 
and  far  beyond  her  strength,  she  gave  and 
served.  Knowledge  without  corresponding 

conduct  is  vain  and  useless  in  every  depart- 

■» 

ment  of  life.  In  morals  and  religion  it  is 
reprehensible.  “  If  ye  know  *  *  *  happy 


THE  HEIGHTS  OF  HAPPINESS  119 


are  ye  if  ye  do,”  and  miserable  are  ye  and 
mean,  if  ye  fail  to  do. 

Those  who  know  the  law,  and  that  in  respect 
for  law  lies  man’s  security  for  property  and 
life,  should  obey  the  law,  the  eighteenth 
amendment  as  well  as  the  first,  the  Decalogue 
as  well  as  the  constitution.  And  those  who 
know  that  Christ’s  law  is  the  highest  stand¬ 
ard  should  obey  that  law  and  conform  to  its 
standard.  Those  who  know  of  human  needs 
and  sorrows  should  relieve  the  needs  and  as¬ 
suage  the  sorrows.  Those  who  know  beauty 
should  reveal  it  in  pictures,  in  poems  and  in 
songs.  Those  who  know  wrongs  should  re¬ 
buke  them,  and  those  who  know  that  there  is 
a  future  life,  and  that  they  are  accountable 
to  a  righteous  judge,  here  and  hereafter, 
should  prepare  and  serve  for  immortality. 

There  is  no  happiness  in  knowledge  without 
action.  Knowledge  without  action  is  like 
steam  generated  but  carried  off  on  the  bosom 
of  the  wind,  unharnessed  and  uncontrolled. 
It  is  like  the  blossom  in  the  springtime  for  the 
moment  beautiful,  but  disappointing  when  no 
fruit  appears. 

But  it  is  equally  true  that  happiness  does 
not  result  from  merely  doing.  Intense  ac¬ 
tivity  when  not  directed  by  right  principles 
and  correct  methods  only  increases  mischief 
and  sorrow.  To  do  the  wrong  thing  and  to 


120 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


leave  the  right  thing  undone,  equally  lead  to 
misery.  You  will  recall  the  story  of  the  stut¬ 
tering  husband  who  accompanied  his  deaf  and 
dumb  wife  who  was  troubled  with  an  aching 
tooth,  to  a  dentist.  The  dentist  was  both  busy 
and  impatient.  The  interview  resulted  in  the 
drawing  of  a  perfectly  sound  tooth  from  the 
jaw  of  the  husband.  There  was  action 
a-plenty,  but  a  painful  lack  of  information. 

I  will  never  be  able  to  efface  from  my  boy¬ 
hood  memory  the  spectacle  of  a  small  fire  that 
occurred  in  our  little  village.  The  amateur 
firemen  meant  well,  but  their  violent  efforts 
were  in  one  instance  at  least  as  ludicrous  as 
they  were  futile.  To  get  into  a  second-story 
chamber,  easily  accessible  by  a  front  window 
from  a  ladder,  they  stood  on  tables  in  the 
parlour  and  chopped  a  hole  through  the 
ceiling. 

In  China  many  native  doctors  who  have  no 
knowledge  of  anatomy,  diagnosis  or  medicine, 
but  whose  ignorance  is  possessed  of  all  the 
eagerness  of  fanaticism,  force  sharp  sticks 
into  the  bodies  of  their  hapless  patients,  to 
locate  the  seat  of  the  evil  spirit  which  has 
caused  the  sickness.  No,  those  who  are  merely 
doers,  find  neither  success  nor  happiness. 

The  plan  of  Jesus  for  those  who  would 
reach  and  hold  the  heights  of  happiness,  is 
found  in,  “  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy 


THE  HEIGHTS  OF  HAPPINESS  121 


are  ye  if  ye  do  them.”  He  does  not  say,  “  If 
ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye,  ’ ’  nor  does 
he  say,  ‘  1  If  without  knowledge  of  these  things 
ye  exercise  yourselves*  violently  and  rush  to 
and  fro,  happy  ard  ye.”  What  he  does  say 
is  this:  “  If  you  both  know  the  truth  and  then 
release  your  knowledge  in  service  for  others, 
you  will  be  happy, — happy  with  the  happiness 
that  the  vicissitudes  of  life  cannot  destroy, 
and  happy  with  the  blessedness  that  lasts  for¬ 
ever.”  “  If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are 
ye  if  ye  do  them.” 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  once  said,  “  The 
strength  and  happiness  of  a  man  consist  in 
finding  out  the  way  in  which  God  is  going,  and 
in  going  that  way,  too.”  And  here  in  the 
words  of  God’s  Son  and  heir,  we  have  the  way 
of  God  revealed.  All  human  experience  has 
found  no  other  way  to  happiness  than  this. 
Many  have  been  tried ;  ways  of  wine  and  ways 
of  song;  ways  of  lust  and  ways  of  pleasure; 
brilliant  ways  and  golden  ways;  ways  of  am¬ 
bition,  and  ways  that  lead  by  broken  cove¬ 
nants  and  broken  laws.  Many  ways  there  are 
that  man  has  tried,  but  as  it  is  to  the  summit 
of  the  Matterhorn,  so  it  is  to  the  heights  of 
happiness,  there  is  only  one  way,  and  those 
who  come  on  by  any  other,  find  disappoint¬ 
ment  at  last. 

And  this  way,  this  only  way,  it  is  the  way 


122 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


of  the  words  of  Jesus;  it  is  the  way  of  pleas¬ 
antness  and  it  is  the  path  of  peace.  Of  it  the 
sweet  singer  of  Israel  wrote,  “  As  for  God, 
His  way  is  perfect/  ’  And  again,  “  Lead  me 
in  the  way  everlasting.  ’  ’  Isaiah  called  it 
“  The  way  of  holiness,’ ’  and  Jeremiah  named 
it  “  The  way  to  Zion.”  Of  it  Nahum  de¬ 
clared,  “  The  Lord  hath  his  way  in  the  whirl¬ 
wind,”  and  Jesus  proclaimed,  “  I  am  the  way, 
the  truth  and  the  life.”  And  so  we  come  at 
last  not  to  the  words,  hut  to  their  speaker,  and 
in  finding  him,  we  find  the  way,  the  way  that 
like  the  path  of  the  just  is  “  as  the  shining 
light  that  shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  per¬ 
fect  day.” 


X 


A  RELIGION  OF  ADVENTURE 


MAN  is  born  an  adventurer.  The  first 
connected  words  that  fall  from  his 
lips  form  a  question.  He  wants  to 
know.  Through  every  field  of  human  re¬ 
search  and  endeavour  he  takes  the  forward¬ 
leading  trails  of  discovery.  In  a  single  year 
in  one  great  department  of  science  sixteen  or 
more  expeditions  have  been  organized  and 
sent  forth.  They  were  meteorological,  zoolog¬ 
ical,  ethnological,  geological  and  biological. 
Six  groups  penetrated  the  Polar  regions;  four 
at  least  found  their  way  into  African  wilder¬ 
nesses,  and  others  toiled  expectantly  by  the 
foundations  of  ancient  cities  and  the  shrines 
of  long-buried  civilizations. 

Sir  Ernest  Shackleton’s  comrades — Shackle- 
ton,  the  gentle  spirit  and  courageous  soul — 
drove  forward  to  circumnavigate  the  Antarc¬ 
tic  sea,  dash  to  the  South  Pole,  locate  new 
whaling  grounds,  and  discover  gold,  silver, 
coal  and  ruby  fields.  Captain  Amundsen 
plunges  into  the  North  again.  Knud  Rasmus¬ 
sen  is  oft  on  a  five-year  trip  studying  the 


124 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


Eskimo  tribes.  Donald  MacMillan,  one  of 
Peary’s  intrepid  men,  plans  to  circumnavigate 
Baffin-Land.  Other  explorers  are  equipped  to 
do  scientific  work  in  China  and  Thibet, — 
Thibet  that  was  the  bright  hope  of  the  mar¬ 
tyred  Dr.  Shelton, — and  in  the  Pacific  Islands, 
in  Ecuador  and  Peru,  in  New  Mexico,  in  Nova 
Zembla,  in  our  own  Southwest,  so  rich  in  an¬ 
cient  Pueblo  ruins;  Dr.  David  Starr  Jordan 
explores  the  vast  unknown  of  the  Amazon. 
Man  is  born  an  adventurer. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  religion 
of  adventure  and  the  greatest  of  all  adventures 
is  the  adventure  of  faith.  Abraham,  who, 
being  called  of  God,  while  he  was  yet  in  Meso¬ 
potamia,  who  turned  his  back  forever  upon  the 
homeland  in  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  and  who 
4  4  went  out  not  knowing  whither  he  was 
going,”  was  the  first  of  religion’s  great  adven¬ 
turers. 

What  romance  and  mystery  hang  upon  that 
phrase,  44  Not  knowing  whither  he  was 
going!  ”  Out  of  the  east  and  into  the  west; 
out  of  the  known  into  the  unknown;  upon  the 
civilization  and  established  society  of  his  time 
he  turned  his  back  and  faced  the  desert’s 
broad  expanse,  and  the  silence  of  the  wilder¬ 
ness.  Faith  spoke,  and  Abraham  deserted  the 
ease  and  comfort  of  his  time  to  embrace  lone¬ 
liness  and  danger.  Faith  spoke,  and  he  went 


A  RELIGION  OF  ADVENTURE 


125 


forth  upon  an  unmarked  way,  pitching  his 
tent  and  building  his  altars. 

You  may  be  sure  that  the  marching  song  of 
Abraham  was  not  44  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for 
me,  let  me  hide  myself  in  thee.”  Nor  was  it 
44  hide  me  till  the  storm  of  life  is  past.”  It 
might  have  been,  44  I’ll  go  where  you  want 
me  to  go, — over  mountain  or  plain  or  sea.” 
Or  it  might  have  been,  4 4  The  Son  of  God  goes 
forth  to  war,”  or  44  I  must  fight  if  I  would 
reign.  ’ 9 

The  petition  for  safety  and  for  rest,  the 
eager  and  often  pathetic  quest  for  a  quiet  har¬ 
bour,  are  true  and  worthy  prayers  of  the  human 
soul.  The  hymns  that  give  them  voice  are 
rich  and  noble,  often  they  are  sublime.  When 
a  life  is  broken  upon  the  reefs  of  experience, 
it  must  be  saved;  when  years  and  cares  have 
bowed  a  heart  that  once  was  strong;  when 
grief  has  worn  the  soul,  we  crave  the  shelter 
of  the  rock  that  rises  in  a  weary  land. 

But  an  undiscouraged  and  expectant  life,  a 
normal  and  expanding  life,  the  life  of  youth 
and  growth,  wants  not  a  peaceful  haven  but 
the  open  seas.  No  narrow  valley,  sheltered 
from  the  bending  storm,  but  unknown  lands 
with  winds  of  risk  to  drive  its  argosies  of  hope. 
Life’s  normal  thought  is  adventurous  thought; 
the  mind,  the  body  and  the  soul  were  built  to 
stand  the  buffetings  of  danger  and  to  over- 


126 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


come  the  hardships  that  lead  to  great  discov¬ 
eries.  Our  prayer  is  not  for  peace  hut  for 
power,  not  for  immunity  but  for  courage;  not 
to  be  declared  exempt,  but  to  be  found  worthy; 
not  for  the  privilege  of  remaining  in  Ur  of  the 
Chaldees,  but  for  the  chance  to  go  adventur¬ 
ing  with  faith ;  to  seek  the  city  that  hath  foun¬ 
dations,  whose  architect  and  builder  is  God. 

The  Christian  religion  deals  with  life  as  it 
really  is,  and  when  rightly  interpreted  and 
enjoyed,  it  does  two  things: — answers  the  cry 
for  comfort,  satisfies  the  desire  for  security, 
and  gratifies  more  fully  than  anything  else  in 
the  world,  the  spirit  of  adventure  and  the  will 
to  conquer.  Its  final  reward  is  a  haven  of  rest, 
where  we  shall  lie  down  in  green  pastures,  be¬ 
side  the  still  waters,  and  a  Heaven  of  achieve¬ 
ment  where  things  begun  in  time  but  never 
finished,  shall  be  perfected  and  where  dreams 
come  true. 

The  religion  of  adventure  possessed  the  soul 
and  dictated  the  life  of  Paul.  He  caught  the 
lightning  from  the  sky,  and  was  forevermore  a 
torch  that  flamed  afar.  The  Voice  from  Mace¬ 
donia  is  brother  to  every  voice  that  has  called 
man  into  strange  lands  and  unknown  coun¬ 
tries.  Marquette,  LaSalle,  Marcus  Whitman, 
David  Livingstone,  William  Carey,  Savona¬ 
rola,  St.  Augustine  and  others,  beyond  num- 


A  RELIGION  OF  ADVENTURE 


127 


bering,  were  Christian  adventurers,  intrepid 
heralds  of  the  faith. 

As  we  study  the  lives  of  these  early  fathers 
and  missionaries,  and  the  lives  of  their 
spiritual  sons  and  daughters;  as  we  familiar¬ 
ize  ourselves  with  their  characteristics  of 
strength  we  catch  the  impulse  of  their  cour¬ 
age,  hear  the  echo  of  their  virile  voices,  and 
know  that  Christianity  conquered  them,  be¬ 
cause  it  captured  their  imaginations  and  com¬ 
manded  their  wills.  Strong  men  were  these, — 
not  weaklings, — men  born  to  find  new  lands 
and  make  new  ways,  men  who  in  religion  dis¬ 
covered  a  task  worthy  beyond  all  others  and 
most  alluring. 

The  Pilgrims  were  adventurers  of  faith. 
Literally  they  went  forth  not  knowing  whither 
they  were  going.  To  settle  44  in  the  northern 
parts  of  Virginia,’ ’  the  ancient  document 
reads,  and  they  landed  in  the  snow  and  ice  of 
New  England.  But  a  voyage  undertaken  44  for 
the  glory  of  God  and  to  advance  the  Christian 
faith  9  9  as  they  declared  and  so  bravely  demon¬ 
strated  theirs  to  be,  could  not  be  stayed  by 
storm  or  death.  Another  has  said,  4  4  They  re¬ 
fused  to  starve  or  to  quarrel  or  to  retreat. 
Not  to  play  safe;  but  to  face  risks  for  a  great 
cause,  not  to  save  life  in  Old  England  but  to 
lose  it  in  New  England.  Not  to  cling  passively 
to  the  Cross  of  Christ;  but  to  take  up  passion- 


128 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


ately  their  own  cross  and  to  carry  it  for  His 
sake.  “  Through  peril,  toil  and  pain,” — 
these  were  the  moulds  of  Pilgrim  character 
that  deeply  blazed  the  trail  of  our  American 
civilization. 

And  these  are  the  characteristics  that  find 
their  highest  expression  in  the  life  and  minis¬ 
try  of  Jesus  Christ.  Had  he  been  satisfied  to 
be  good  and  to  do  good  without  challenging 
the  evil;  without  rebuking  evil-doers,  and 
making  an  issue  of  righteousness,  he  would 
very  likely  have  died  a  peaceful  and  natural 
death,  honoured  for  his  gentleness  and  ac¬ 
claimed  for  his  miracles  of  mercy.  But  his 
were  restless  feet;  his  was  an  impatient  heart. 
He  was  not  satisfied  in  the  beaten  paths  of  the 
fathers;  he  was  not  content  to  leave  things  as 
he  found  them;  he  outgrew  Nazareth  as  Abra¬ 
ham  outgrew  Mesopotamia.  Socially  and  re¬ 
ligiously  Jesus  was  an  adventurer;  the  great 
adventurer,  and  he  called  men  to  break  with 
age-old  traditions  and  superstitions;  to  march 
out;  to  deny  self  and  walk  with  him  in  the 
ways  of  a  new  order.  The  words  of  the  Ser¬ 
mon  on  the  Mount,  so  eloquently  commonplace 
now,  infinitely  high  above  our  practice  and  our 
living  though  they  are,  were  a  revolutionary 
pronouncement  when  Jesus  spoke  them,  and  it 
was  as  a  revolutionist  that  the  defenders  of  a 
decadent  civilization  and  a  degenerate  church 


A  RELIGION  OF  ADVENTURE 


129 


he  refused  to  acknowledge,  pursued,  perse¬ 
cuted  and  destroyed  him.  And  I  am  per¬ 
suaded  that  were  He  to  return  and  bring  again 
this  message,  speak  again  his  words,  this  gen¬ 
eration  would  crucify  him  in  less  time  than 
did  the  Jews  and  Komans. 

But  Jesus  knew  that  the  adventurer  must 
accept  the  adventurer’s  risks  and  in  the  end 
embrace  the  adventurer’s  death.  As  for  us 
the  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord. 

“  Who  best  can  drink  His  cup  of  woe, 

Triumphant  over  pain; 

Who  patient  bears  His  cross  below, 

He  follows  in  His  train.” 

The  man  who  asks  to  see  the  end  from  the 
beginning;  who  demands  assurance  of  success 
and  insurance  against  disaster  and  hardship; 
who  insists  upon  knowing  the  way  before  him 
more  than  one  step  at  a  time,  is  not  a  Christian 
after  the  order  of  Jesus.  The  Abrahams  who 
go  out  ‘  ‘  not  knowing  whither  they  are  going  ’  ’ 
but  answering  to  some  Divine  inner  urge,  obe¬ 
dient  to  some  Heavenly  vision,  as  was  the 
maid  who  heard  voices  in  the  air,  are  the  path¬ 
finders,  the  discoverers,  the  emancipators,  the 
empire-builders  of  the  race. 

All  of  life  is  an  adventure.  They  exist,  but 
do  not  live,  who  refuse  to  hear  its  call  and  ac¬ 
cept  its  risks.  In  business,  in  friendship,  in 
the  home,  in  society,  in  politics,  the  achieve- 


130 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


merits  that  bless,  that  call  forth  the  admira¬ 
tion  and  gratitude  of  one  ’s  f ellow  men,  are  the 
rewards  of  a  courage  that  does  not  ask  to  see. 
I  have  very  vivid  recollections  of  a  man  who 
with  brutal  frankness  once  said  to  me,  44  I 
would  not  be  a  father ;  the  risks  are  too  great. 
In  these  days  of  abnormal  living,  of  super¬ 
human  temptations  for  the  young,  the  odds 
against  parents  who  above  all  things  else  in 
life  are  concerned  with  the  moral  and  spiritual 
welfare  of  their  children,  are  too  great.’ ’  He 
spoke  of  the  vices  and  superficial  ideals,  the 
vicious  standards  of  popular  society,  the  pass¬ 
ing  of  the  old  home  wholesomeness,  and  re¬ 
peated,  4  4  I  would  not  be  a  father.  ’ ’ 

God  knows  that  motherhood  and  fatherhood 
are  appalling  responsibilities  to-day.  Often 
the  difficulties  and  discouragements,  the  prob¬ 
lems,  seem  great  beyond  human  daring.  Al¬ 
ways  the  future  is  obscure  and  at  best  uncer¬ 
tain.  But  God  pity  the  men  and  women  who 
turn  deliberately  away  from  home  responsi¬ 
bility,  who  choose  to  remain  childless,  because 
of  the  sacrifices  and  risks  that  come  with  the 
patter  of  baby  feet.  God  pity  them,  for  they 
not  only  leave  the  future  of  the  race  to  its  less 
fit  and  its  unfit,  but  they  renounce  their  right 
to  mortal’s  purest  bliss  and  open  arms  that 
children  should  have  filled,  to  loneliness  and 
an  old  age  uncomforted. 


A  RELIGION  OF  ADVENTURE 


131 


Now  and  forever  and  everywhere  the  world 
waits  for  women  and  men  of  the  adventurous 
faith.  The  international  chaos  that  feeds  the 
beasts  of  famine  and  anarchy  will  yield  to  no 
vacillating  and  uncertain  statesmanship.  The 
advices  of  fear  will  leave  us  in  darkness  as 
cruel  as  that  which  preceded  the  reign  of  ter¬ 
ror.  The  industrial  unrest,  the  economic 
waste,  the  impoverished  credit  of  our  time,  the 
hate,  the  social  cruelty,  the  interracial  bitter¬ 
ness,  a  running  sore,  a  festering  wound,  waits 
for  the  adventurers  of  a  new  order  who  will 
cry  down  the  pathways  of  the  world  the  an¬ 
swer  of  the  Son  of  God:  “  Love  thy  neigh¬ 
bour  as  thyself.” 

Everything  else  has  been  tried  and  what  a 
hapless,  hopeless  world  it  is.  The  great  Con¬ 
ference  called  to  advance  peace,  thus  far  has 
planted  new  fields  to  bitterness,  sown  fresh 
trenches  to  war.  What  a  hapless,  hopeless 
world  it  is  for  all  who  are  not  Abrahams,  who 
are  unwilling  to  go  forward,  not  knowing 
whither  they  are  going.  The  devices  of  tra¬ 
ditional  statesmanship  are  impotent;  for 
vengeance  is  the  creed  of  fear  and  only  faith 
can  captain  this  salvation.  International  rela¬ 
tionship  needs  not  a  surgeon,  not  a  soldier’s 
separating  sword,  but  the  poultice  of  magnan¬ 
imity. 

We  have  celebrated  the  100th  anniversary 


132 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


of  the  birth  of  Ulysses  S.  Grant.  When  he 
turned  his  defeated  enemy  away  from  Appo¬ 
mattox,  conquered  by  generosity,  he  rendered 
his  greatest  service  to  his  country  and  to  the 
world.  His  decision  that  day  was  a  conclu¬ 
sion  of  faith.  He  committed  the  United  States 
to  a  great  spiritual  adventure,  an  adventure  in 
reconciliation,  and  the  Union,  the  Union  re¬ 
stored  in  spirit  as  well  as  in  form,  is  his  suffi¬ 
cient  vindication  and  his  noblest  monument. 
Nothing  short  of  such  a  surrender  to  the  eter¬ 
nal  principles  of  human  brotherhood  by  the 
nations  to-day,  will  ever  bring  order  out  of 
this  chaos,  will  ever  win  this  misnamed 
peace. 

“God  give  us  men,  a  time  like  this  demands 
Strong  minds,  great  hearts,  true  faith,  and  ready  hands. 

What  a  challenge  the  church  faces  to-day. 
To  conquer  the  Far  East  for  the  Prince  of 
Peace  would  be  a  mightier  triumph  than  to 
humble  the  Central  Powers;  to  capture  New 
York  City,  for  instance, — to  capture  New  York 
City  for  Jesus  Christ  as  the  early  church  cap¬ 
tured  Rome,  would  be  a  greater  adventure 
than  to  smash  the  Hindenburg  line.  Day  after 
day  I  jostle  my  way  through  the  appalling 
crowds  upon  Fifth  Avenue,  and  often  I  have 
brooded  and  trembled  for  the  future  of  my 
country  and  the  institutions  of  her  Christian 
civilization.  We  are  practically  helpless  be- 


A  RELIGION  OF  ADVENTURE 


133 


fore  our  problem.  We  do  not  even  have  the 
ears  of  these  hurrying  millions;  their  minds 
and  hearts  are  strangers  to  us.  They  do  not 
contend  against  us,  they  do  not  despise  us, 
they  do  not  ignore  us, — they  are  unconscious 
of  us.  While  their  ancient  faiths  have  been 
forgotten  in  a  new  land,  they  are  among  us  as 
worse  than  heathen,  for  they  have  no  gods  but 
gods  of  mammon. 

May  the  God  of  Abraham  pity  us  for  our  in¬ 
difference,  for  our  self-complacency,  for  our 
lack  of  initiative,  for  our  cowardice,  for  our 
unwillingness  to  try  the  untried,  for  our  fear 
of  breaking  away  from  the  conventional, — 
God  pity  us,  for  a  judgment  is  upon  us  if  we 
go  not  out  by  new  and  untried  ways  to  capture 
the  soul  of  the  city.  And  this  is  but  one  item 
of  the  budget,  but  a  tiny  fragment  of  the  plan, 
— the  most  stupendous  challenge  that  ever 
came  to  man. 

Do  we  discuss  our  failure  to  win  youth  to 
the  church  in  larger  numbers?  “  Church, 
wouldst  thou  call  youth  into  thy  service  ?  Call 
him  not,  then,  with  plaintive  music  and  sooth¬ 
ing  sermon.  O  never  for  him  expunge  and 
soften  the  words  of  Jesus,  but  gird  on  him  the 
sword  and  buckler  and  send  him  forth  with 
trumpets  sounding  the  call  of  Christ’s  cru¬ 
sade.”  This  is  the  call  that  youth  forever 
hears, — the  call  of  danger. 


134 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


Sometime  since  I  attended  an  annual  meet¬ 
ing  of  one  of  the  great  foreign  missionary 
boards.  In  the  closing  session  I  listened  to 
seven  addresses  delivered  by  as  many  young 
people  who  represented  a  class  of  more  than 
seventy  under  appointment  to  various  over¬ 
seas  fields.  One  address  I  will  never  forget. 
It  was  delivered  by  a  young  man  who  said, 4  4  I 
received  my  first  missionary  impulse  in  a 
Christian  Endeavour  convention  in  Seattle. 
Afterward  I  became  a  Student  Volunteer. 
Then  the  war  came  along,  put  a  uniform  on 
me  and  I  marched  away.  One  afternoon  I 
sailed  down  New  York  Harbor,  out  by  the 
Statue  of  Liberty,  and  as  through  a  half- 
closed  port  I  saw  the  shore  line  of  my  country 
fade  into  the  mist,  I  promised  God  that  if  I 
lived  to  return  I  would  sail  away  again.  Now 
I  am  about  to  sail.  Within  ten  days  I  shall 
sail  down  New  York  Harbor  again, — out  by 
the  Statue  of  Liberty,  into  the  Narrows,  and 
on  until  I  shall  see  the  shore  line  of  my  coun¬ 
try  fade  into  the  mist,”  and  with  a  profound 
emotion  the  young  man  concluded,  4  4  And  this 
second  journey  to  my  life-work  on  the  Nile  for 
Christ  and  the  Church,  is  the  greater  journey 
of  the  two.” 

4  4  And  he  went  out,  not  knowing  whither  he 
was  going,  for  he  looked  for  a  city  which  hath 
foundations,  whose  architect  and  builder  is 


A  RELIGION  OF  ADVENTURE 


135 


God.”  All,  we  have  not  completed  the  text, 
for  Abraham  went,  led  on  by  faith,  and  not 
knowing  whither  he  was  going.  But  let  no 
man  say  that  he  was  an  aimless  wanderer.  He 
had  a  destination.  His  was  a  quest  and  not  a 
ramble.  He  had  a  purpose,  a  great  objective 
and  a  divine  impulse  led  him  out  of  old  lands 
into  new,  from  ancient  superstitions  into  a 
living  faith,  from  the  flesh-pots  of  time  to  the 
altars  of  eternity,  from  self  to  God.  The  dif¬ 
ference  between  Abraham  and  any  other  sheik 
of  the  Chaldean  Plain  was  the  difference  be¬ 
tween  a  nomadic  wanderer  following  the  trails 
of  tribal  wealth  and  an  inspired  adventurer  on 
the  path  of  an  exalting  quest. 

And  here  forever  lies  the  difference  between 
the  glittering  tinsel  of  a  cheap  and  transient 
fame  and  the  abiding  qualities  of  true  great¬ 
ness.  The  difference  between  reputation  and 
character,  the  difference  between  the  searcher 
after  temporal  gain  and  those  adventurers 
who  cross  uncharted  and  mysterious  seas  or 
deserts  unexplored,  seek  for  Canaan,  look  for 
the  city,  which  hath  foundations,  whose  archi¬ 
tect  and  builder  is  God. 

Mr.  Eoger  Babson,  in  a  recent  book,  tells  of 
an  experience  that  came  to  him  while  the  guest 
of  the  president  of  a  South  American  republic. 
During  the  conversation  the  statesman  asked 
this  very  unusual  question:  “  Mr.  Babson, 


136 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


how  do  you  explain  the  difference  in  develop¬ 
ment  between  North  America  and  South 
America!  South  America  is  at  least  as  rich 
in  natural  resources  as  North  America.  South 
America  was  settled  first,  hut  in  education,  in 
business,  in  science,  and  in  government,  South 
America  has  been  generations  slower  than  her 
northern  sister.  What  is  the  reason!  ” 

Mr.  Babson  parried  the  question  and  evaded 
it,  and  then  the  distinguished  host  said,  4  4  Mr. 
Babson,  I  think  that  I  know  the  reason.  South 
America  was  settled  by  Spaniards  who  came 
to  find  gold.  North  America  was  settled  by 
Pilgrims  who  came  to  find  God.  ’  ’ 

What  are  we  looking  for!  God  or  Gold! 
the  wealth  of  riches  or  the  riches  of  character, 
reputation  or  integrity,  a  cheap  distinction  or 
a  distinguished  service,  a  valley  of  fatness  to 
feed  the  flocks  of  selfishness,  or  a  city, — a  city 
that  hath  foundations,  that  shall  not  pass, — a 
city  whose  architect  and  builder  is  God? 


XI 


THE  PRICE  OF  PEACE 

ONE  of  man’s  great  quests  is  the  quest 
for  peace,  serenity  of  mind,  health  of 
soul,  and  it  is  this  that  Jesus  prom¬ 
ised  to  his  disciples  long  ago,  when  he  said, 
“  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  1  give 
unto  you.”  It  was  both  a  bequest  and  a  gift; 
theirs  it  was  to  hold,  and  theirs  it  was  to 
have. 

The  words  that  Jesus  spoke  were  the  words 
of  an  easy  and  accustomed  Eastern  salutation, 
but  there  are  times  when  an  ordinary  phrase 
or  sentence  may  become  invested  with  im¬ 
mense  significance;  there  are  moments  when 
into  one  word  may  be  condensed  the  passion 
of  a  supreme  hate;  the  fear  of  an  overwhelm¬ 
ing  terror,  or  the  love  of  a  lifetime.  Christ 
into  these  words,  “  Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my 
peace  I  give  unto  you,”  pours  the  yearning, 
the  fire,  the  passion  of  His  unchanging  and 
eternal  love. 

It  is  not  to  be  assumed  that  this  gift  was  an 
arbitrary  one.  The  disciples  could  have  re¬ 
fused  it,  and,  indeed,  for  a  time  did.  But  it 

137 


138 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


was  an  absolute  one,  given  never  to  be  with¬ 
drawn;  given  once  and  given  for  all.  Ours  it 
is  to-day,  as  theirs  it  was  yesterday,  for  the 
opening  of  our  minds  and  hearts  and  the 
ordering  of  our  lives  to  receive  it. 

4  4  Peace/  ’ — it  is  on  the  lips  of  the  great  cap¬ 
tain  in  the  morning  of  his  triumph.  Before 
him  is  the  humbled,  the  defeated  army  of  the 
military  genius  who  has  so  long  opposed  him. 
About  him  are  the  resolute  men  who  have  fol¬ 
lowed  him  through  hardships  and  dangers. 
The  cause  of  his  people  is  victorious  at  arms. 
But  beyond  the  furled  battle-flags  his  prophetic 
eye  looks  to  a  day  when  the  very  animosities 
that  still  engage  the  souls  of  these  men  who 
have  laid  their  weapons  down,  will  have  been 
assuaged,  and  he  utters  the  words  that  will 
survive  long  after  rust  has  eaten  through 
the  gallant  sword  he  wore, — “  Let  us  have 
peace” 

“  Peace/’ — the  heavy  shades  are  drawn;  the 
chamber,  richly  furnished,  is  silent  save  for 
the  whisper  of  nurses  and  physicians.  A  great 
life  draws  swiftly  to  its  close, — a  life  of  rich 
emoluments  as  society  judges  reward.  The 
grey  head  tosses  upon  it§  pillow,  and  the  mind, 
once  master  of  the  intricacies  of  trade  and  the 
problems  of  commerce,  knows  now  only  that 
pain  is  departing.  Long  since  the  cares,  the 
anxieties,  the  disappointments  of  office,  the 


THE  PBICE  OF  PEAGE 


139 


ambitions,  the  satisfactions  of  success,  have 
passed  from  the  sufferer’s  consciousness,  and 
now  the  watchers  hear  him  say,  u  Peace, 
peace,  peace.” 

“  Peace,” — we  look  upon  the  placid  brow, 
the  pallid  cheek,  the  folded  hands.  The  room 
in  which  she  lies  is  small  and  mean.  About 
us  are  the  broken  things  she  toiled  in  vain  to 
hide  beneath  such  tawdry  coverings  as  pov¬ 
erty  could  buy.  The  man  her  girlhood  loved 
and  trusted  sits  half  asleep,  and  quite  alone. 
The  children, — there  are  five, — are  weeping  as 
children  weep  who  have  lost  their  all.  The 
plate  upon  the  casket  bears  a  single  word, 
“  Peace.” 

Peace!  What  multitudes  poured  into  the 
streets  and  what  demonstrations  of  joy  swept 
through  our  cities,  across  the  nation,  and 
around  the  world,  when  that  word  so  long  de¬ 
layed,  so  ardently  hoped  for,  came  out  of  the 
Armistice  Conference  in  France  on  the  11th 
of  November,  1918.  “  Peace,” — the  end  of 

war;  Peace,  the  return  of  loved  ones; — no  more 
agony  of  suspense,  no  more  weeping.  Did 
ever  the  human  soul  entertain  so  rich  a  mix¬ 
ture  of  emotion  as  it  did  on  that  Armistice 
Day  which  saw  the  manhood  of  the  world  re¬ 
leased  from  grips  with  death? 

But  we  were  not  long  in  discovering  that 
Peace  had  only  begun,  if  indeed  it  had  begun, 


140 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


and  that  it,  too,  must  be  won.  We  waited  ex¬ 
pectantly  for  the  treaty,  and  when  finally  it 
issued  from  Versailles  we  found  that  at  best  it 
hut  recorded  progress.  There  were  many  who 
said  that  it  was  in  reality  a  backward  step. 
Upon  one  thing  we  were  all  agreed, — until  the 
Peace  had  been  won,  the  war  itself  could  not 
be  said  to  have  been  won,  and  that  to  lose  the 
peace,  to  fail  in  perfecting  the  peace,  meant 
to  lose  the  war. 

The  war  had  settled  nothing  finally.  Fun¬ 
damentally  war  never  settles  anything.  At 
best  it  opens  the  way  for  certain  issues  to  be 
settled;  makes  an  opportunity  for  great  prin¬ 
ciples  to  prevail.  But  the  constructive  proc¬ 
esses  are  always  processes  of  peace,  and  upon 
peace  war  lays  heavy  burdens;  for  every  op¬ 
portunity  to  which  it  opens  the  door,  it  creates 
a  handicap.  In  this  regard  the  latest  war,  the 
war  we  call  now  the  Great  War,  has  been  no 
exception.  Every  great  issue  raised  by  it 
has  been  turned  over  to  Peace  for  settlement, 
and  who  can  name  a  problem  that  it  has  finally 
solved  ? 

Did  we  imagine  that  once  and  for  all  nations 
had  turned  their  backs  upon  great  standing 
armies?  Then  hear  the  tramp  of  Russia’s  two 
million  conscripts,  and  listen  to  the  arguments 
advanced  by  France  for  continuing  to  main¬ 
tain  a  vast  military  organization.  The  rea- 


THE  PRICE  OF  PEACE 


141 


sons  given  in  each  instance  are  reasons  that 
have  their  origin  in  the  war, — the  war  that 
was  supposed  to  have  forever  ended  such  rea¬ 
sons. 

Surely,  if  there  was  one  thing  that  civilized 
man  agreed  must  he  eliminated  forever,  it  was 
the  ruthless  attack  of  the  submarine.  “  Re¬ 
member  the  Lusitania was  more  than  a  bat¬ 
tle-cry, — it  was  humanity ’s  horror  of  savagery 
made  vocal;  it  was  the  expression  of  the 
morality  of  the  conflict  to  democratic  peoples 
who  held  peace  so.  dear  that  they  were  ready 
to  give  everything  to  retain  it,  short  of  truth 
and  honour.  But  only  a  few  days  ago  we  found 
a  great  conference  of  nations  in  which  Ger¬ 
many  did  not  participate,  unable  to  agree  upon 
the  elimination  of  the  undersea  killer,  while  a 
recognized  authority  of  one  of  the  participat¬ 
ing  countries  argued  for  its  unrestricted  use. 

Nor  has  this  war  bound  the  governments 
that  joined  each  other  in  it  more  closely  to¬ 
gether.  Rather  it  seems  to  have  set  in  motion 
influences  that  now  force  them  apart,  and 
those  who  discuss  possible  new  conflicts  speak 
of  the  friends  of  yesterday  as  the  foes  of  to¬ 
morrow. 

What  judgment  shall  we  bring  upon  that 
stupendous  struggle,  that  bled  Europe  white, 

and  shook  the  verv  foundations  of  our  Ameri- 

%/ 

can  institutions?  It  stopped  Germany;  it  de- 


142 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


stroyed  the  20th  century  dream  of  absolutism, 
for  one  imperial  crown,  but  who  shall  say  that 
in  itself  it  was  a  victory  for  the  Allied  Na¬ 
tions?  It  was  David  Lloyd  George  who  first 
declared,  “  Unless  we  win  the  peace  we  have 
lost  the  war.”  By  implication  at  least,  he 
sounded  the  warning  that  the  Central  Powers 
might  yet  bring  triumph  out  of  disaster,  and  if 
his  words  meant  anything  at  all,  they  meant 
that  war  could  be  only  destructive,  that  war 
could  at  best  only  tear  down,  burn  away,  and 
make  space  for  the  structures  of  peace.  His¬ 
tory  has  again  and  again  demonstrated  that 
many  so-called  victories  have  been  too  dearly 
bought,  or  too  unwisely,  too  selfishly,  admin¬ 
istered.  Time  frequently  names  the  conquered 
as  administrators  for  their  conquerors. 

Contemplate  a  few  of  the  handicaps  that 
war  has  placed  upon  peace,  a  few  of  the  bur¬ 
dens  that  because  of  war  peace  must  carry 
as  she  faces  her  appalling  tasks,  and  problems, 
as  she  marshals  the  forces  that  Mars  has  left 
her,  and  moves  on  the  strongholds  that  must 
be  taken,  before  the  foundations  of  brother¬ 
hood  can  be  laid  down. 

Financially,  peace  operates  in  a  bankrupt 
world: — only  the  fact  that  practically  all  na¬ 
tions  are  in  the  same  embarrassment  makes  it 
possible  to  proceed  with  economic  processes. 
No  statesman,  no  captain  of  finance,  speaks 


THE  PRICE  OF  PEACE 


143 


with  authority.  Many  are  opposed  to  every 
method  for  liquidation  proposed,  and  no  plan 
thus  far  presented  has  the  complete  confidence 
of  its  own  proponents.  This  is  not  an  indica¬ 
tion  of  a  collapse  in  leadership.  The  problem 
is  vast  beyond  all  previous  problems,  and  men 
find  no  stars  by  which  to  chart  their  course. 
They  sail  the  unknown  seas  of  a  new  world. 

The  direct  cost  of  the  war  was  186  billion 
dollars,  with  an  estimated  total  loss,  including 
destroyed  shipping,  damaged  property,  loss  of 
production,  etc.,  of  $355,291,719,819.  To-day 
the  United  States  of  America  is  investing 
92.6%  of  all  her  appropriated  moneys  in  wars, 
past  and  anticipated;  only  1.3%  remaining  for 
public  welfare,  1.4%  for  public  works,  4.8% 
for  the  administration  of  government.  And  if 
Peace  staggers  under  the  load,  do  not  point 
the  finger  of  scorn.  It  is  estimated  that  there 
are  as  many  as  one  and  a  half  billion  people 
now  alive  on  the  earth,  and  the  cost  of  the  war 
participated  in  by  the  so-called  civilized  of 
these  was  186  billion  dollars ! 

Contemplate  the  waste  in  men, — 19,658,000 
killed  in  battle,  30,470,000  lost  by  an  increased 
death  rate,  39,500,000  more  cut  off  by  a  de¬ 
creased  birth-rate, — a  total  human  loss  of 
89,628,000.  And  remember,  among  these  men 
were  the  finest  flower  of  mankind; — the  strong- 
limbed,  the  brave-hearted,  the  clear-eyed,  the 


144' 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


young  and  the  ardent.  In  the  loins  of  the  po¬ 
tential  fathers  died  the  poets  and  musicians, 
the  inventors,  the  preachers,  and  the  states¬ 
men  who  would  have  been  and  who  now  can 
never  be.  And  so,  when  Peace  thinks  slowly 
and  seems  to  be  moving  forward  by  hopping 
on  one  leg,  remember  the  limb  that  she  left  in 
the  Argonne,  and  the  brain  that  was  sered  by 
the  white  heat  of  the  shell.  I  hear  war  say, 
“  Peace,  I  set  before  you  an  open  door.  Be¬ 
hold  a  field  ready  now  to  be  harvested.  ’  ’  And 
I  hear  Peace  reply,  “  Ah!  but  where  are  my 
harvesters?  ” 

But  what  of  the  Peace?  What  is  it,  or 
rather,  what  is  it  to  be?  We  still  find  our¬ 
selves  absorbed  by  this  question.  Manifestly 
there  has  been  a  difference  of  opinion,  or  the 
question  would  have  long  since  been  answered. 
At  the  risk  of  seeming  to  be  presumptuous,  let 
us  try  to  answer  the  question, — not  as  Ameri¬ 
cans,  not  as  Allies,  not  as  victors,  but  as  Chris¬ 
tians.  What  kind  of  a  Peace  shall  we  have? 

Not  a  peace  of  secret  diplomacy,  which  is  a 
peace  of  intrigue,  a  peace  of  suspicion,  a  peace 
of  secret  treaties.  Not  a  peace  to  be  main¬ 
tained  by  fortifications  and  armies  supported 
by  fleets,  not  a  peace  which  enriches  some  na¬ 
tions  at  the  expense  of  other  nations,  even 
though  the  nations  impoverished  stand  con¬ 
victed  of  high  crimes  against  humanity.  Not 


THE  PRICE  OF  PEACE 


145 


a  peace  of  selfishness.  Not  a  peace  of  isola¬ 
tion,  that  promises  safety  to  those  who  live 
apart  and  are  remote,  for  there  is  no  isolation 
now.  No,  and  not  Peace,  physical  peace  at  any 
price,  for  chains  are  worse  than  bayonets,  and 
truth  surrendered  to  her  foes  is  worse  than 
war. 

What  kind  of  a  Peace  shall  we  have?  The 
peace  that  Jesus  promised, — the  peace  that 
Jesus  gave  to  his  disciples,  the  peace  of 
Christ ! 

And  what  is  this  peace?  Humanly  speak¬ 
ing,  it  is  the  peace  that  “  passeth  knowledge,” 
the  peace  that  man  cannot  understand,  and 
that  he  will  accept  only  when  all  his  own  re¬ 
sources  and  expedients  have  failed.  But  it  is 
the  peace  that  survives,  and  from  its  plan 
shines  man’s  only  star  of  promise. 

It  is  peace  that  hath  foundations,  that 
stands  upon  eternal  justice  and  righteousness; 
no  whim  of  a  passing  hour,  no  passion  of  an 
evil  day  dictates  it;  it  is  not  the  creation  of 
compromise.  It  is  the  settlement  of  “  I  must.” 
William  Penn,  when  remonstrated  with  be¬ 
cause  he  treated  with  the  Indians  and  reim¬ 
bursed  them  for  the  lands  which  he  could  have 
taken  without  consideration  for  their  native 
occupants,  replied,  “  I  must,  for  it  is  right.” 
This  is  the  sentiment  of  Jesus,  the  peace  pf 
Christ.  The  peace  of  Christ  is  the  peace  of  a 


146 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


fixed  standard,  the  peace  of  morality.  It  is  an 
absolute  peace,  and  William  Penn  is  but  one 
example  of  the  fact  that  “  to  the  peaceful 
peace  is  seldom  denied.’ ’ 

It  is  at  this  point  that  the  peace  settlements 
of  the  nations  break  down.  They  are  settle¬ 
ments  that  balance  power,  that  distribute 
profits,  and  that  follow  vengeance.  We  speak 
not  as  a  judge  over  our  brethren,  our  words 
are  those  of  confession,  for  the  hour  is  man’s 
hour  of  humiliation.  Man  has  failed.  No 
peace  of  suspicion  and  hate,  no  peace  of  na¬ 
tional  covetousness  and  fear,  no  peace  of  com¬ 
promise,  no  peace  of  revenge,  will  survive. 
Man’s  peace  is  the  wrong  peace.  Let  us  take 
counsel  from  Jesus  when  he  said,  “  Not  as  the 
world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.”  The  peace 
that  the  world  needs  to-day, — aye,  the  peace 
that  when  we  know  ourselves,  when  we  ap¬ 
proximate  our  best,  the  peace  that  then  we 
want,  is  the  peace  of  Christ.  His  is  the  only 
peace  that  lasts,  for  it  is  the  peace  of  truth, 
and  truth  is  eternal,  for  truth,  though 
“  crushed  to  earth,  shall  rise  again.” 

The  Peace  of  Christ,  then, — how  shall  we  win 
it?  It  is  won  by  sacrifice  and  unselfishness, 
won  as  the  war  was  won,  by  giving,  by  giving 
"much  and  by  being  willing  to  give  all.  But  how 
difficult  it  is  for  us  to  see  this,  and  to  accept  it. 
We  gave  our  money,  our  children,  and  we 


THE  PRICE  OF  PEACE 


147 


risked  our  individual  and  national  existence  in 
armed  conflict  with  the  Central  Powers.  Men 
tore  off  the  garments  of  selfishness  and  wept 
in  the  shame  of  their  offering  after  they  had 
given  all,  so  small  the  gift  appeared  in  the 
white  light  of  that  occasion.  Now  we  discuss, 
we  argue  the  terms  of  peace,  as  though  we 
could  have  so  precious  a  thing,  for  nothing. 

What  was  the  strength  of  the  United  States 
in  the  Washington  Conference?  I  rather 
think  that  first  of  all  it  was  the  strength  of 
sacrifice  and  unselfishness.  Not  that  great 
sacrifices  were  offered  or  actually  made,  but 
there  was  at  least  a  gesture  of  renunciation. 
America  did  sacrifice  ships  and  plans  that  had 
stirred  her  heart  with  national  pride,  and 
when  before  has  any  government  deliberately 
resigned  the  high  distinction, 4  4  Mistress  of  the 
Sea  ”?  This  was  the  contribution  of  the 
United  States  to  the  war  against  war,  her  gift 
for  brotherhood.  She  said  to  England  and 
Japan  and  France  and  all  the  others, — 44  I 
have  this  power ;  this  glory  is  in  my  hand,  and 
none  can  take  it  from  me,  but  I  yield  it  for  the 
common  good.” 

There  are  those  who  seek  to  arouse  our  sus¬ 
picions  and  fears  to-day;  who  stir  our  passions 
and  play  upon  our  national  pride.  If  we  were 
to  grant  every  danger  that  they  so  loudly  pro¬ 
claimed,  we  would  yet  be  risking  and  giving 


148 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


infinitely  less  for  peace  than  we  gave  for  war. 
We  have  at  least  begun  an  experiment  in  un¬ 
selfishness,  an  experiment  on  a  large  scale,  to 
be  sure,  but  one  that  our  returns  on  a  similar 
investment  would  seem  to  justify. 

When  after  the  Boxer  uprising  the  United 
States  returned  to  China,  above  actual  dam¬ 
ages,  her  share  of  the  indemnity  money  levied 
upon  the  Chinese  government  by  the  great 
powers,  and  when  she  refused  to  accept  that 
uprising  as  a  pretext  for  acquiring  concessions 
and  zones  of  influence  in  the  Far  East,  she 
deliberately  denied  herself  profits,  that  her 
commercial  rivals  accepted.  But  for  any 
losses  that  may  have  come  to  her,  then,  there 
have  been  moral  gains  that  wipe  them  out. 
China  has  never  ceased  to  be  grateful,  her  con¬ 
fidence  has  never  been  destroyed,  though  diplo¬ 
macy  has  sometimes  shaken  it,  and  now  appear 
financial  and  economic  returns  that  strengthen 
us  in  the  old-fashioned  conviction  that  honesty 
is  not  only  the  best  policy,  but  that  it  pays 
to  be  Christian.  “  Cast  thy  bread  upon  the 
waters,’7  and  thou  shalt  surely  find  it  after 
many  days. 

How  win  the  peace?  This  peace  of  Christ? 
It  is  won  by  faith.  The  voices  that  call  up 
our  fears  to-day  are  voices  of  blind  leaders  of 
the  blind.  Between  Canada  and  the  United 
States, — rather,  between  the  British  Empire 


THE  PRICE  OF  PEACE  149 

and  the  United  States,  on  our  north,  is  four 
thousand  miles  of  demonstrated  faith  in  inter¬ 
national  honour,— as  James  McDonald  used  to 
say,  “  a  thousand  miles  of  mountains,  a  thou¬ 
sand  miles  of  plains,  a  thousand  miles  of  lakes, 
a  thousand  miles  of  rivers,  without  a  fort,” 
and  without  a  soldier  armed  for  military  ac¬ 
tion,  without  a  vessel  on  hostile  mission  bent. 
A  hundred  years  and  more  of  peace  between 
the  two  great  peoples  who  in  all  that  time  have 
never  dug  a  gun-emplacement  against  each 
other. 

The  world  has  adventured  her  fears,  her  lust 
for  power,  her  pride,  her  selfishness.  She  has 
gone  to  the  end  of  the  trail  with  her  outgrown 
devices  of  statesmanship.  She  has  tried  every 
other  way,  and  all  roads  have  led  at  last  to  the 
same  catastrophe.  Let  her  now  adventure 
faith.  We  must  turn  from  ourselves,  we  must 
burn  behind  us  the  bridges  of  fear  and  go  to 
Christ  for  His  peace.  For  nations  as  well  as 
for  individuals,  He  is  the  way,  He  is  the  truth, 
He  is  the  life. 

How  win  the  war?  Win  it  with  love.  On 
the  front  page  of  the  British  Christian  En¬ 
deavour  Times  for  November  4th,  1920,  ap¬ 
peared  the  picture  of  a  portion  of  the  delega¬ 
tion  attending  the  first  German  Christian  En¬ 
deavour  Convention  held  after  the  war.  On  the 


150 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


inside  of  that  page  was  a  paragraph  announc¬ 
ing  that  the  President  of  the  European  Chris¬ 
tian  Endeavour  Union,  pastor  of  the  largest 
church  in  Europe,  St.  Enoch’s  in  Belfast,  had 
been  invited  to  attend  the  next  German  Con¬ 
vention,  which  was  to  be  held  in  Berlin. 

When  I  read  that  announcement  a  chill  of 
resentment  swept  over  me,  and  then  I  asked 
God  to  forgive  me.  In  August,  1914, 1  tramped 
with  the  President  of  the  European  Christian 
Endeavour  Union  among  the  sand-dunes  of 
Cape  Cod.  We  talked  of  many  things,  and  he 
told  me  of  his  son,  Paul,  a  glorious  youth,  the 
apple  of  his  eye.  Even  as  we  talked,  the  furies 
turned  upon  the  world.  John  Pollock  hurried 
home  to  see  his  lad  march  off  with  other  North 
of  Ireland  men.  But  when  the  war  was  over, 
and  the  regiments  returned,  Paul  did  not 
march  back  again.  The  trail  runs  clear  and 
true  to  Flanders,  but  stops  somewhere  at  an 
unknown  grave  beneath  the  poppies  of  a  bat¬ 
tle-field.  And  what  of  that  invitation  1  It  was 
accepted.  John  Pollock  went  to  Berlin. 

The  peace  of  Christ  is  the  peace  of  “  love  ye 
your  enemies,  and  forgive  them  that  despite- 
fully  use  you.”  This  is  the  only  peace  that 
will  bring  order  out  of  chaos;  the  only  peace 
that  will  remove  the  sword  of  revenge  that  to¬ 
day  hangs  above  the  head  of  Europe,  the  only 


THE  PRICE  OF  PEACE 


151 


peace  that  will  win  the  war;  the  only  peace 
that  will  last.  We  do  not  find  it  in  ourselves; 
it  is  a  gift.  “  Peace  I  leave  with  you.  My 
peace  I  give  unto  you.  ’  ’ 


XII 


HOW  TO  BE  BORN 

BIRTH  is  the  great  mystery  of  life’s  be¬ 
ginning.  Science  has  charted  the  far 
country  and  eased  the  pain  of  the  jour¬ 
ney.  But  an  understanding  of  birth  is  as  our 
knowledge  of  the  winds  and  the  lightnings. 
We  comprehend  it  as  we  comprehend  nature, 
and  Tyndall  in  his  “  Forms  of  Water  ”  con¬ 
cludes,  “  We  are  absolutely  unable  to  compre¬ 
hend  either  the  origin  or  the  end  of  the  forces 
of  nature.”  They  rest  in  nature’s  omniscient 
and  omnipotent  God. 

As  upon  woman  has  been  laid  the  burden 
and  the  pain  of  birth,  so  hers  is  the  glory  and 
the  crown.  The  travail-couch  becomes  the 
greatest  throne,  and  mother  is  the  only  uni¬ 
versal  queen. 

The  supreme  business  of  womanhood  is 
motherhood,  and  by  as  much  the  supreme 
business  of  manhood  is  fatherhood. 

I  cannot  change  the  facts  and  antecedents 
of  my  own  birth,  but  I  can  influence  these 
facts  and  antecedents  for  my  children.  Physi¬ 
cally,  mentally,  morally,  I  am  not  so  much 

152 


HOW  TO  BE  BORN 


153 


concerned  about  my  ancestors  as  I  am  that 
I  shall  be  an  ancestor.  Whether,  as  men 
judge  such  matters,  I  am  or  am  not  well  born, 
I  am  responsible,  so  far  as  fatherhood  is  con¬ 
cerned,  for  the  birth  conditions  and  environ¬ 
ment  of  those  who  come  after  me. 

In  this  lies  fatherhood’s  supreme  obliga¬ 
tion,  with  its  supreme  joy  or  supreme  agony. 

I  have  a  friend  whose  parents  so  loved  this 
country  that  before  his  birth  they  undertook 
a  hazardous  journey  in  order  that  their  child 
might  first  see  the  light  of  day  beneath  the 
Stars  and  Stripes. 

Lincoln  was  born  in  a  log  cabin,  and  so  was 
Grant.  Washington  was  born  in  a  mansion. 
Jesus  was  born  in  the  Bethlehem  manger. 

But  the  question  is  not  where  to  be  born, 
nor  when  to  be  born,  nor  what  to  be  born;  the 
question  is  how  to  be  born. 

As  a  lad  perhaps  you  called  fate  cruel  be¬ 
cause  you  were  not  born  when  knighthood 
was  in  flower,  or  when  Indians  ruled  the 
Western  plains  and  buffalo  roamed  the  desert. 
But  no  time  was  ever  more  adventurous  than 
this  time.  There  are  tasks  a-plenty.  Life  is 
rich  with  high  adventure.  Where  in  history 
do  you  find  a  more  thrilling  career  than  that 
of  Roosevelt?  Now  is  always  the  great  mo¬ 
ment  in  which  to  live.  The  question  is,  How? 

Glad  I  am  to  be  an  American,  and 


154 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


“  Breathes  there  the  man  with  soul  so  dead 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said, 

‘This  is  my  own,  my  native  land!  ’ 

Whose  heart  hath  ne’er  within  him  burn’d 
As  home  his  footsteps  he  hath  turn’d 
From  wandering  on  a  foreign  strand?” 

But  others  are  equally  happy  because  they  are 
French  or  Italian  or  British.  Bloody  Mary 
was  horn  a  princess;  Booker  Washington  was 
born  black,  and  the  son  of  a  slave.  How  to  be 
horn,  that  is  the  question. 

Thank  God,  if  you  were  born  strong  of 
body,  clean  of  blood,  cheerful  of  disposition, 
and  resourceful  of  spirit.  Thank  God,  if  you 
were  born  well.  But  I  hear  a  vast  company 
say :  ‘  ‘  What  of  us  ?  Whenever  and  wherever 
and  whatever  and  however  we  may  have  been 
born,  we  are  born.  We  cannot  change  the 
facts  of  our  birth.  Granted  that  we  may 
affect  these  facts  for  others,  that  we  may  in 
some  vital  measure  affect  those  who  come 
after  us,  here  we  are,  born  wrong,  many  of  us, 
with  weak  bodies,  with  tainted  minds,  with 
sour  souls.  What  about  us?  ”  And  there  is 
only  one  answer,  the  answer  of  the  Man  who 
spake  as  never  man  spake,  “  Ye  must  be  born 
again.  ’  ’ 

Here  is  a  great  mystery,  a  mystery  more 
profound  than  that  of  the  physical  birth.  But 
the  fact  of  it  is  no  less  real  than  that  of  the 
physical  birth,  no  less  real  because  it  is  spir- 


HOW  TO  BE  BORN 


155 


itual,  no  less  real  because  to  the  physical  eye 
it  is  invisible.  We  cannot  see  the  wind,  but 
we  can  record  its  effects  and  register  its 
power.  The  new  birth  is  subject  of  demon¬ 
stration;  it  can  be  proved.  And  the  proof  of 
it  is  the  fact  of  it. 

Do  you  say  that  you  cannot  understand  the 
new  birth,  that  being  born  of  the  Spirit  is  a 
mystery?  You  say  nothing  more  than  Nico- 
demus  said,  nothing  more  than  Jesus  gave 
assent  to,  in  that  midnight  interview.  But  do 
not  deny  the  fact  of  the  new  birth,  and  do  not 
for  yourself  reject  it  because  it  is  a  mystery. 
It  is  real,  as  real  as  the  winds,  as  unmistak¬ 
able  as  the  lightnings;  and  it  is  more  vital, 
more  powerful,  than  these.  The  proof  of  it  is 
as  clear-cut  and  should  be  as  convincing  as  the 
proof  of  the  physical  birth. 

We  know  that  you  were  born,  and  we  know 
that  you  were  born  because  you  are.  And  all 
about  us  are  men  and  women  who  have  been 
born  again,  who  are  new  creatures  because 
they  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  whose  deeds  are  dif¬ 
ferent,  whose  words  are  changed,  whose  very 
countenances  have  been  altered.  How  do  I 
know  that  they  have  been  born  again?  I 
know  that  they  have  been  born  again  because 
they  are  and  because  they  are  new.  Because 
the  man  that  was  is  no  longer,  and  because  the 
new  man,  the  man  that  is  now,  finishes  old 


156 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


tasks,  rights  old  wrongs,  forgives  old  injuries, 
loves  the  unlovable. 

Physically  they  may  be  mean  and  dwarfed, 
hopelessly  deformed;  but,  while  physically  a 
new  birth  is  forever  denied  them,  spiritually 
they  may  become  men  and  women  perfected 
and  glorified. 

While  attending  a  Christian  Endeavour  con¬ 
ference  in  a  Western  college  town  a  few  years 
ago  I  met  a  young  woman  who  was  carried 
into  my  meeting.  Drawn  and  humped,  limbs 
twisted  and  hands  gnarled,  hers  was  a  pathetic 
figure.  But  she  was  beautiful;  spiritually  she 
was  angelic;  mentally  she  was  an  exquisite 
creature.  She  not  only  refused  to  centre  her 
mind  upon  her  own  difficulties,  but  she  insisted 
upon  bearing  the  burdens  of  others.  The 
young  people  of  her  church  and  community 
looked  upon  her  as  a  leader,  and  were  enriched 
by  her  friendship.  Her  disposition  was  singu¬ 
larly  winsome;  her  personality  attracted  peo¬ 
ple  who  were  drawn  to  her,  not  by  pity,  but 
by  admiration  and  love. 

She  had  not  always  been  thus,  however. 
There  was  a  time  when  she  was  sullen  and 
morose,  harsh  with  her  parents,  and  bitter 
against  God.  She  seemed  hopelessly  afflicted 
in  soul  as  well  as  body,  destined  to  be  a  bur¬ 
den  .until  death  should  relieve  both  herself  and 
her  friends. 


HOW  TO  BE  BOHN 


157 


And  then  she  was  born  again.  Those  who 
knew  her  testify  that  they  knew  her  no  longer. 
The  old  had  passed  away;  she  was  a  new 
creature ;  and  the  difference  between  what  she 
had  been  and  what  she  had  become,  was  as 
great  as  the  physical  difference  between  two 
women  who  have  no  resemblance.  She  was 
born  of  the  Spirit.  It  was  not  a  change  of 
scene,  nor  a  change  of  task,  nor  a  change  in 
physical  condition.  She  continued  to  go  about 
in  an  invalid’s  chair.  It  was  not  new  friends, 
nor  the  resolution  of  her  own  will,  not  any 
physiological  reaction.  It  was  a  change  of 
heart.  It  was  God.  It  was  God  through  His 
Holy  Spirit.  She  was  born  again. 

A  new  task  is  not  enough.  Unless  a  man  is 
himself  new  the  seeds  of  failure  will  remain, 
and  they  will  be  carried  into  new  endeavours, 
where  presently  they  will  sprout  and  grow. 

,  You  have  known  men,  as  I  have,  who  com¬ 
plained  that  their  work  gave  them  no  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  reveal  their  worth;  and  there  are 
cases  where  individuals  potentially  great, 
through  circumstances  beyond  their  control, 
have  been  chained  to  failure  by  labour  that 
was  bondage.  But  that  vast  multitude  roving 
about  in  search  of  the  “  big  strike  ”  and  lay¬ 
ing  their  defeat  always  at  the  door  of  the  par¬ 
ticular  4 4  poor  job  ”  they  happen  to  be  leav¬ 
ing,  will  not  be  saved  by  any  new  thing  they 


158 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


may  discover.  The  work  they  spoil  will  wait 
for  some  new  man  to  save  and  perfect  it. 

There  came  into  a  college  community  some 
years  ago  a  brilliant  young  fellow  whose 
father  was  at  the  time  in  the  United  States 
Senate.  He  had  only  recently  graduated  from 
a  great  New  England  university,  married  the 
reigning  beauty  of  his  home  city,  and  begun 
the  practice  of  law.  Then  suddenly  his  wife 
and  parents  discovered  that  he  was  a  drunk¬ 
ard.  They  were  overwhelmed  and  broken¬ 
hearted.  Hoping  to  save  the  fellow  and  to 
keep  the  honoured  name  from  humiliation, 
they  sent  him  away  “  to  find  himself.’ ’  They 
believed  that  in  new  surroundings  and  with 
new  associates  he  would  get  away  from  the 
curse  that  had  gripped  him. 

For  a  time  their  hopes  seemed  about  to  be 
realized,  and  they  began  to  look  for  his  re¬ 
turn.  He  had  been  a  great  athlete,  had  cap¬ 
tained  his  varsity,  and  made  the  All-American. 
That  first  winter  he  coached  the  local  football 
team  that  won  a  State  championship.  Men 
loved  him.  He  was  generous  to  a  fault,  an 
ideal  companion.  He  and  I  have  followed 
game  trails  together.  We  have  whipped 
mountain  trout-streams  together.  We  have 
slept  under  a  rubber  blanket  and  beneath  the 
open  skies  together. 

But  he  did  not  find  himself.  The  last  time 


HOW  TO  BE  BORN 


159 


I  saw  him  I  travelled  across  three  states  for 
the  meeting;  but,  when  I  looked  into  his  eyes, 
I  found  no  light  of  recognition.  His  shoes 
were  broken ;  his  clothing  was  ragged ;  his  hair 
was  matted;  his  face  was  marred  by  the  lines 
of  many  excesses.  He  never  went  back.  His 
father  needed  him,  and  left  public  life  because 
of  him.  His  mother  needed  him,  and  died 
broken-hearted  when  he  did  not  return.  His 
wife  needed  him.  His  baby  son  needed  him, 
but  never  saw  him.  New  surroundings  and 
new  associates  were  not  enough.  The  only 
road  that  led  back  to  the  heights  from  which 
he  had  fallen  he  refused  to  take;  and,  trying 
to  get  up  by  another,  he  came  to  his  ruin. 

Out  of  a  railroad  section  camp  a  profane 
and  ignorant  lad  came  years  ago  to  hear  the 
story  of  God’s  redeeming  love  and  transform¬ 
ing  power.  Hearing,  he  was  moved,  and,  con¬ 
fessing  his  sins,  he  cried  out  for  pardon. 
Rough  and  uncouth,  mentally  untrained,  un¬ 
moral  rather  than  immoral,  as  he  was,  the  pro¬ 
found  change  that  took  place  when  his  peni¬ 
tential  prayer  was  answered  left  the  earnest 
people  who  had  gathered  about  him  at  the 
altar  of  the  pioneer  church  in  a  riot  of  emo¬ 
tions.  Afterwards  they  testified  that  a  very 
devil  came  in  and  a  very  saint  walked  out. 
That  he  was  born  again,  his  life  from  that 
jiight  forth  was  unwavering  evidence. 


1G0 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


He  went  back  to  bis  camp,  back  to  his  work, 
back  to  his  associates.  The  camp  was  un¬ 
changed;  his  work  was  the  same;  his  asso¬ 
ciates  were  as  they  had  been  when  he  left 
them.  But  he  was  a  new  man ;  he  was 
changed ;  and  because  he  was  changed  the 
camp  changed.  His  work  there  never  looked 
again  as  it  did  when  he  left  it  for  that  old- 
fashioned  revival  meeting. 

And  so  unique  and  powerful  a  thing  was 
this  new  life  that  had  taken  possession  of  his 
herculean  frame  that  immediately  it  began  to 
change  the  lives  of  his  brawny  and  elemental 
companions.  As  they  had  followed  him  riot¬ 
ing,  they  began  inquiring  of  him  the  way  of 
righteousness. 

Eventually  he  entered  upon  new  activities, 
but  not  before  the  old  had  responded  to  his 
zeal  and  tireless  endeavours.  I  say  that  even¬ 
tually  he  entered  upon  new  activities;  he  be¬ 
came  a  preacher.  He  had  a  stern  and  long 
road  to  travel.  He  could  not  write  his  name 
when  he  began.  Well-meaning  friends  did 
their  best  to  dissuade  him.  But  they  remem¬ 
bered  the  former  man,  the  old  man,  and  reck¬ 
oned  not  with  the  new. 

When  I  became  acquainted  with  him,  he 
could  still  hold  his  frontier  audience,  but  he 
was  as  .convincing  before  a  college  chapel. 
One  evening  his  hand  dropped  upon  my  shoul- 


HOW  TO  BE  BORN 


161 


der  and  his  rich  voice  whispered  in  my  ear  the 
searching  question,  “  Why  don’t  you  square 
away  and  give  yourself  to  Jesus  Christ?  ”  It 
was  the  night  that  I  became  a  Christian.  That 
great  and  glorious  gentleman,  who,  being  dead 
yet  speaketh,  is  all  the  proof  I  shall  ever  need 
of  the  fact  of  the  second  and  spiritual  birth. 


XIII 


HOW  TO  LIVE 

YOUNG  man  stood  before  a  great 
king.  He  was  the  new  favourite  of  a 


sturdy  nation.  He  had  saved  the 
armies  of  his  ruler;  had  become  so  distin¬ 
guished  as  the  result  of  his  feats  of  valour 
that  the  monarch  felt  that  his  own  prestige 
was  threatened;  and,  while  he  spoke  with  hon¬ 
eyed  words,  there  was  sinister  plotting  in  his 
mind.  Even  as  he  promised  the  youth  his 
daughter  in  marriage  he  planned  his  death. 

This  is  the  setting  for  as  fine  a  statement 
of  unaffected  humility  as  ever  fell  from  the 
lips  of  a  brave  man.  Bowing  before  his  mon¬ 
arch,  David  replied  to  Saul,  “  Who  am  I,  and 
what  is  my  life,  or  my  father’s  family  in 
Israel,  that  I  should  be  son-in-law  to  the 
king?  ” 

There  are  many  answers  given  to  the  ques¬ 
tion  so  strikingly  asked  by  the  conqueror  of 
Goliath.  Life  is  brief  and  as  a  vapour.  Life 
is  sorrow  and  misunderstanding.  Life  is  a 
great  uncertainty.  To  some  life  is  a  holiday. 
To  others  it  is  a  business  proposition,  and 


162 


HOW  TO  LIVE 


163 


yet  others  enter  it  as  athletes  enter  a  race, 
competing  for  success  against  their  fellows 
and  often  at  the  expense  of  their  weaker 
brothers. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  mistake  is  the  mistake 
of  the  individual  who  looks  upon  life  as  abso¬ 
lutely  a  selfish  proposition,  who  regards  it 
with  no  thought  of  those  who  come  after  him, 
and  who  does  not  take  God  into  consideration 
at  all. 

“  What  is  my  life?  ”  The  answer  depends 
upon  how  you  live  it.  The  vital  consideration 
is  not  where  I  live,  nor  how  long  I  live,  but 
how  I  live.  There  was  never  a  finer  statement 
of  the  creed  for  life  than  that  of  Bryant  in 
“  Thanatopsis 

“  So  live  that  when  thy  summons  comes  to  join 
The  innumerable  caravan  that  moves 
To  the  pale  realms  of  shade,  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death, 

Thou  go  not  like  the  quarry-slave  at  night, 

Scourged  to  his  dungeon,  but,  sustained  and  soothed 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave 
Like  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams.” 

Life  is  brief,  but,  though  brief,  it  is  long 
enough  if  lived  well,  and,  after  all,  he  lives 
long  who  lives  well.  Another  has  said,  4  4  Live 
well,  and  you  cannot  die  too  soon,  nor  live  too 
long  and  of  the  young  who  are  captured  by 
death  it  has  been  written : 


164 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


“They  pass  from  work  to  greater  work; 

They  rest  before  the  noon. 

Ah,  God  is  very  good  to  them, 

They  did  not  die  too  soon.” 

We  are  immortal  until  our  work  is  done. 
Campbell  Morgan  once  wrote,  “  When  a 
man’s  life,  however  humble,  is  set  to  the  will 
of  God,  its  time-schedule  is  kept  in  heaven.” 

Jesus  Christ  in  thirty- three  years  lived  for 
all  the  centuries. 

Nor  is  life  a  tragedy  if  lived  well.  Those 
who  pass  through  the  deepest  sorrows  may  be 
transparently  happy  and  contagiously  cheer¬ 
ful.  Life  is  like  mountain  lands  and  Alpine 
countries  where  winter  and  summer  are  al¬ 
ways  side  by  side,  and  where  it  is  but  a  step 
from  a  glacier  to  a  garden. 

Life  is  a  series  of  surprises,  but  it  is  not  a 
gambler’s  throw  of  the  dice.  It  is  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  an  unapprehended  but  immortal  des¬ 
tiny.  The  great  unknown  is  kept  for  us,  for 
God  is  thinking  of  us  always  as  we  think  of 
our  children,  and  nothing  is  left  to  chance. 

Life  is  a  business,  a  co-operative  business, 
for  we  get  as  we  give,  and  there  is  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  each  and  for  all. 

Life  is  a  race,  but  it  should  not  be  a  heart¬ 
breaking  competition,  with  final  success  at  the 
expense  of  those  with  whom  we  run.  All  may 
win.  The  reward  is  universal.  We  run  with 
men  and  not  against  them.  If  we  live  well, 


HOW  TO  LIVE 


165 


life  is  for  others.  More  than  a  score  of  times 
the  New  Testament  enters  upon  the  record, 
“  He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it.”  Emer¬ 
son  wrote,  “  Life  is  hardly  respectable  if  it 
has  no  generous  task.”  The  supreme  joy, 
humanly  speaking,  is  the  joy  of  the  mother 
who  gives  all. 

Life  is,  and  it  is  one  day  at  a  time,  and  one 
day  after  another.  The  first  fact  suggests 
fatality;  the  second  implies  repose;  and  the 
third  visions  culmination.  To-morrow  will  be 
better  than  to-day.  The  dawn  will  bring  a 
new  page  upon  which  we  may  write  with  a 
firmer  hand. 

Life  is  not  mine.  I  have  no  absolute  pos¬ 
session  of  it ;  for  He  is  my  life,  and  that  which 
I  call  mine  is  a  sacred  trust.  When  I  fail  to 
live  in  Him  I  am  not  truly  alive,  for  I  am  dead 
in  selfishness  and,  as  an  ancient  book  has  it, 
“  in  trespasses  and  sin.” 

Life  is  not  mine,  for  I  did  not  create  it;  I 
did  not  find  it ;  in  me  it  did  not  have  its  begin¬ 
ning;  in  me  it  does  not  end,  nor  can  I  termi¬ 
nate  it.  From  me  it  will  pass  on  in  new  forms 
and  faces.  It  is  mine  for  the  moment,  to  use, 
to  enjoy,  to  enrich,  and  to  invest. 

The  only  adequate  standard  for  life  is  the 
standard  that  one  set  for  himself  and  for  his 
associates  nearly  two  thousand  years  ago, 
“  Present  your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy, 


166 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


acceptable  unto  God,  which  is  your  reasonable 
service.’ ’ 

Such  living  is  level-best  living.  Such  living 
leads  at  length  to  the  apprehension  of  a  great 
truth,  the  truth  that  we  have  not  given  at  all 
until  we  have  given  all.  Such  living  leads  at 
last  in  victorious  service  to  immortal  triumph. 

“  We  live  in  deeds,  not  years ;  in  thoughts,  not  breaths ; 

In  feelings,  not  in  figures  on  a  dial. 

We  should  count  time  by  heart-throbs.  He  most  lives, 
Who  thinks  most,  feels  the  noblest,  acts  the  best.” 

There  is  an  Arabian  fable  that  tells  us  life 
is  composed  of  two  parts,  that  which  is  past, 
a  dream ;  that  which  is  to  come,  a  wish. 
Dreams  and  wishes,  memories  and  hopes ! 

Dreams !  Dreams  of  long  ago !  The  green 
meadows  of  childhood;  the  companions  of 
youth;  father,  mother,  books,  trips;  the  dog 
that  came  at  your  call  and  hung  at  your  heels ; 
the  great  tree  that  was  your  castle  and  the 
creek  that  floated  your  argosies ;  the  city  that 
reached  out  and  enchanted  you;  school-days 
and  college  friendships ;  the  grit  of  the  cinders 
under  your  spikes;  the  crash  of  the  gridiron; 
the  first  fish  you  ever  caught ;  your  first  party, 
your  first  job,  your  first  earnings;  your  first 
heartache,  your  first  night  away  from  home, 
your  first  great  triumph,  your  first  great 
grief;  your  decision  for  a  life-career,  its  high 
emotion;  the  supreme  experiences  that  senti- 


HOW  TO  LIVE 


167 


nel  your  way,  their  pain  or  joy,  their  success 
or  disappointment.  Dreams — and  who  does 
not  have  them? — the  bitter  and  the  sweet, 
dreams  that  make  you  happy  and  dreams  that 
make  you  sad. 

Hopes !  hopes  that  blossom  in  childhood  and 
that  never  fade;  hopes  that  send  you  for  the 
first  wild  flowers  of  springtime  and  that  fill 
your  arms  with  crimson  leaves  when  summer 
is  past;  hopes  that  live  and  hopes  that  burn; 
hopes  that  tunnel  mountains  and  compass 
seas;  that  chart  the  earth  from  pole  to  pole 
and  map  the  courses  of  the  stars;  hopes  that 
heal  bodies,  hopes  that  restore  minds,  hopes 
that  mend  hearts;  hopes  that  bridge  failure 
and  hopes  that  are  a  breastwork  against  fear; 
hope  for  ourselves  and  hopes  for  our  chil¬ 
dren;  hopes  for  a  better  and  a  happier  world, 
for  peace,  for  justice,  and  for  the  universal 
brotherhood. 

Hope,  the  great  hope  that  entereth  within 
the  veil,  that  beholds  the  city  lying  four¬ 
square,  that  possesses  the  house  not  made 
with  hands,  that  clasps  the  loved  one  lost 
awhile,  that  sees  man’s  destiny  completed,  and 
that  ends  with  Christ  in  God.  Hope  that 
springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast,  that  lives 
forevermore. 


XIV 

HOW  TO  DIE 


EATH  is,  and  it  is  inevitable.  Tlie 


flowers  die,  and  the  trees,  the  days, 


and  the  seasons.  Man  may  conquer 


everything  but  himself  and  death.  Frederick 
Lewis,  Prince  of  Wales,  died  from  being  hit 
by  a  cricket-ball.  Louis  VI  met  death  as  the 
result  of  a  pig’s  running  under  his  horse. 
Fabius,  the  Roman  praetor,  choked  to  death 
on  a  single  goat-hair  found  in  the  milk  he  was 
drinking.  Otway,  the  poet,  when  starving, 
had  a  guinea  given  him,  but  he  strangled  on 
the  first  mouthful  of  the  bread  he  had  pur¬ 
chased  with  a  portion  of  the  gift.  William 
III  died  when  his  horse  stumbled  over  a  mole¬ 
hill;  Napoleon  died  in  exile;  Mary,  Queen  of 
Scots,  was  executed  by  her  kinswoman,  Eliza¬ 
beth  ;  the  great  Lincoln  was  assassinated ;  and 
Jesus  expired  upon  the  cross  of  a  slave. 

The  young  die  as  well  as  the  old.  “  The 
aged  go  to  death,  but  death  comes  to  youth.” 

It  has  been  said  that  man  fears  not  death, 
but  dying.  Perhaps,  if  we  could  choose  our 
end,  if  we  could  shape  the  plan,  we  should  not 


168 


HOW  TO  DIE 


169 


be  troubled  when  we  think  of  tbe  great  and 
dark  event. 

It  was  not  California  the  golden  that 
troubled  the  hearts  of  the  pioneers  and  adven¬ 
turers  when  the  first  caravans  turned  toward 
the  sunset  in  1849.  It  was  the  dangers  of  the 
westward  trail. 

What  is  death?  The  answers  that  science 
brings  are  not  convincing.  The  termination 
of  life,  the  cessation  of  respiration,  the  pa¬ 
ralysis  of  bodily  functions,  eyes  blinded,  ears 
deafened,  voices  silenced,  minds  frozen, — the 
answers  do  not  satisfy. 

One  has  said  that  death  is  paying  the  debt 
of  nature.  But  to  the  Christian  it  is  bringing 
a  soiled  and  worn-out  bank-note  for  redemp¬ 
tion  and  receiving  gold  in  exchange,  accepting 
for  a  cumbersome  and  diseased  body  health 
and  joy,  life  forevermore. 

Death  is  not  necessarily  a  punishment;  for 
the  first  man  to  die  was  Abel,  who  pleased 
God,  while  Cain,  the  first  murderer,  was  con¬ 
demned  to  live  on. 

Death  is  the  great  liberator.  Death  is 
glorious.  This  is  the  spirit  in  which  Nathan 
Hale  cried,  ‘  ‘  I  only  regret  that  I  have  but  one 
life  to  give  for  my  country.” 

“You  were  done  to  the  death?  Well,  what  of  that, 

If  you  battled  the  best  you  could? 

If  you’ve  filled  your  place  in  the  world  of  men, 

The  Critic  will  call  it  good. 


170 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


Death  comes  with  a  crawl  or  comes  with  a  pounce; 

Blit  whether  lie’s  slow  or  spry, 

It  isn’t  the  fact  that  you’re  dead  that  counts, 

But  only,  ‘  How  did  you  die  ?  ’  ” 

All!  that  is  the  question.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  said,  44  You  may  live  a  king,  but  you 
must  die  a  manY  Death  is  a  great  leveller, 
and  in  dying  we  enter  a  great  democracy.  It 
was  Elizabeth,  the  queen,  who  cried,  44  A  mil¬ 
lion  of  sterling  for  a  moment  of  time.”  It  is 
said  of  Alexander  the  Great  that,  coming  upon 
the  cynic  Diogenes  fumbling  with  a  pile  of 
bones,  he  asked  the  question,  4  4  What  are  you 
doing  here!  ”  and  received  the  answer:  44  I 
am  looking  for  the  bones  of  your  father,  but 
I  cannot  distinguish  between  your  father’s 
bones  and  the  bones  of  the  slaves.” 

But  in  death  as  in  life  I  am  a  free  moral 
agent.  I  may  choose.  Under  God  I  am  the 
master  of  my  fate.  I  may  die  like  a  man  if 
only  I  have  lived  like  one. 

To  die  with  a  full  heart,  one  must  not  fear 
to  face  death  with  an  empty  wallet.  44  There 
is  no  pocket  in  the  shroud.” 

The  greatest  boon  that  anyone  can  ask  is 
this:  to  die  in  action,  if  not  with  the  powers 
of  the  body  and  mind  undiminshed,  at  least 
44  with  the  sword-arm  still  swinging  its  blade, 
and  the  soul  still  master  of  fate.” 

How  to  die!  There  is  only  one  way  to  die. 
If  you  would  die  without  fear,  you  must  die 


HOW  TO  DIE 


171 


in  love;  for  “  love  casteth  out  fear,”  and  God 
is  love.  Would  you  die  without  remorse,  free 
of  the  knowledge  of  guilt,  with  your  mistakes 
covered,  and  your  sins  forgiven?  “  The  sting 
of  death  is  sin,  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the 
law,  but  thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us 
the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.” 
“  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord.” 

Would  you  die  without  the  appalling  sense 
of  loneliness?  Ay,  it  is  the  loneliness  of  dying 
that  we  fear.  Once,  while  wax-like  fingers 
trembled  in  my  clasp,  I  heard  a  faint  voice 
say,  ‘ 4  Do  not  leave  me ; ’  ’  but  even  then  we  had 
reached  the  end  of  our  travelling  together,  and 
then  it  was  that  the  great  White  Comrade 
came,  and  I  seemed  to  hear  again,  from  lips 
that  nevermore  would  speak,  “  Yea,  though  I 
walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with 
me ;  thy  rod  and  thy  staff,  they  comfort  me.” 

Would  you  die  with  assurance,  with  the 
knowledge  of  your  destination,  possessing  al¬ 
ready  the  things  that  are  hid  with  Christ  in 
God?  Ah!  blessed  indeed  are  those  who  die 
in  the  Lord,  for  it  was  He  who  said :  “  Let  not 
your  heart  be  troubled ;  ye  believe  in  God,  be¬ 
lieve  also  in  me.  In  my  Father’s  house  are 
many  mansions;  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would 
have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 


172 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


you,  *  *  *  that  where  I  am,  there  ye  may 
be  also.” 

This  is  the  death  of  victory,  for  this  death 
and  this  death  alone  finds  no  clouds  upon  the 
sky,  sends  man  forth  with  songs  of  rapture 
and  with  shouts  of  triumph.  And,  though 
they  pass  from  mortal  gaze,  the  incense  of 
their  lives  remains.  “  Their  works  do  follow 
them.” 

I  stood  upon  a  summit  in  the  Canadian 
Rockies  at  the  sunset  of  a  winter  day.  About 
me  were  frozen  peaks  and  glacier  crags.  The 
.forests  on  the  ranges  stretching  at  my  feet 
and  mantling  all  the  lesser  mountains  were 
bowed  beneath  their  weight  of  snow.  A  dozen 
lakes  flashed  signals  upward  through  the  icy 
air,  and  far  below  the  river  wound,  a  silver 
thread.  The  sun  sank  into  clouds  and  fog, 
and  then  the  glory  came. 

The  mists  shot  through  with  gold  were  as 
the  breaking  surf  of  some  celestial  sea,  and 
rainbows  arched  the  sky  until  I  stood  beneath 
a  vast  cathedral ’s  gem-set  dome.  The  moun¬ 
tains  rising  tier  on  tier  were  lofty  pillars  of 
the  nave;  the  river  was  a  marble  aisle,  the 
lakes  were  altar-fires,  and  the  bending  pines 
became  the  figures  of  a  mighty  throng  of  wor¬ 
shippers.  I  stood  within  a  flaming  temple  of 
the  sun. 

Then  came  the  softening  afterglow.  It  lin- 


HOW  TO  DIE 


173 


gered  long  upon  the  peaks ;  it  kissed  the  snows 
until  they  blushed  and  stole  away  when  twi¬ 
light  set  her  candles  in  the  sky. 

Thus  is  the  passing  of  a  good  and  righteous 
man.  He  sinks  to  death,  hut  4  4  the  sky  of  the 
world  is  luminous  long  after  he  is  out  of 
sight. ’  y 


XV 

HOW  TO  LIVE  FOREVER 


WHEN  the  writer  was  a  lad,  one  of  the 
thrilling  experiences  of  his  life  was 
to  visit  the  temporary  camps  of  the 
Oregon  Indians  who  came  down  from  the 
mountains  to  pick  hops  in  the  Willamette  Val¬ 
ley.  At  the  close  of  the  working-day,  men, 
women  and  children  would  gather  about  a 
great  central  tire,  sing  their  tribal  songs,  and 
join  heartily  in  their  festival  dances.  There 
were  unique  gambling-games,  too,  that  not 
only  took  the  profits  out  of  many  a  brave’s 
buckskin  pocket,  but  robbed  the  evening  of 
good  humour,  and  led  to  quarrels  of  more  or 
less  serious  character. 

In  one  of  the  songs  which  the  men  sang  in 
the  Chinook  language,  as  they  danced  about 
in  a  great  circle,  was  a  strange  chorus.  It  was 
repeated  over  and  over  again,  sometimes  in  a 
mighty  shout,  then  in  a  deep,  guttural  whisper, 
“  Siah  cupa  Canaan  ill-ah-ee.”  It  is  quite 
possible  that  some  of  these  words  are  mis¬ 
spelled,  for  I  last  heard  them  years  ago,  and 
my  only  vivid  recollection  now  is  of  the  deep 
impression  they  made. 

174 


HOW  TO  LIVE  FOREVER 


175 


But,  roughly  translated,  the  chorus  is,  ‘ 4  Be¬ 
yond  the  hills  lies  Canaan,  the  happy  land.” 
How  the  word  “  Canaan  ”  found  its  way  into 
the  Chinook  language  I  do  not  know.  There 
are  a  great  many  theories,  of  which  perhaps 
the  most  romantic  as  well  as  far-fetched  is 
that  of  the  Mormons,  who  hold  that  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Indians  are  direct  descendants  of  the  lost 
ten  tribes  of  Israel.  But  the  word  is  there, 
and  its  presence  is  another  indication  of  the 
fact  that  universally  man  hopes  for  and  ex¬ 
pects  a  life  beyond  the  grave. 

To  the  Christian  the  conclusive  evidence  of 
immortality  is  the  Word  of  God,  the  irre¬ 
futable  message  of  the  Bible,  the  promise  of 
the  heavenly  Father.  Indeed,  it  is  at  this  point 
that  the  Christian  religion  speaks  as  does  no 
other.  It  is  in  this  faith  that  we  find  consola¬ 
tion  for  the  brevity  of  a  physical  career  which 
makes  it  impossible  for  a  great  genius  to  finish 
his  work.  We  know  that  he  will  have  eternity 
in  which  to  finish  it,  that  there  will  be  for  his 
spirit  unending  time. 

In  the  fact  that  every  other  natural  desire 
finds  its  natural  satisfaction  we  find  reassur¬ 
ance  when  we  are  troubled  about  this  supreme 
desire  of  our  souls.  Do  we  thirst?  Water  has 
been  created  to  quench  our  thirst.  Do  we  hun¬ 
ger?  There  is  food  to  satisfy  our  hunger.  Are 
we  susceptible  of  natural  attachments?  There 


176 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


are  men  and  women  for  us  to  love  and  who 
love  us. 

Every  prejudice  and  unbelief  breaks  down 
before  this  passion  to  survive  death.  No  pro¬ 
gram  of  atheism  has  ever  been  able  to  with¬ 
stand  it.  By  the  side  of  an  open  grave  Robert 
Ingersall  stands  and  cries :  4  4  Life  is  a  narrow 
vale  between  the  cold  and  barren  peaks  of  two 
eternities.  We  strive  in  vain  to  look  beyond 
the  heights.  We  cry  aloud,  and  the  only 
answer  is  the  echo  of  our  wailing  cry.  *  *  * 
But  in  the  night  of  death  hope  sees  a  star,  and 
listening  love  can  hear  the  rustle  of  a  wing.” 

This  is  the  song  of  the  flowers  and  the  mes¬ 
sage  of  the  harvests.  The  seasons  that  go  and 
come  again  are  full  of  it,  and  memory,  that  has 
each  day  for  us  new  resurrection  dawnings, 
confirms  the  faith  that  drops  its  holding 
anchor  behind  the  Word  of  God. 

What  is  eternal  life  to  the  Christian!  It 
is  the  continuation,  with  every  physical  limi¬ 
tation  removed,  of  the  life  that  we  now  live. 
As  another  has  said,  44  This  life  is  the  child¬ 
hood  of  immortality.”  And  Christianity  has 
never  found  a  more  comprehensive  statement 
of  the  difference  between  mere  immortality 
and  the  everlasting  life  that  Jesus  Christ  pro¬ 
claimed  to  His  disciples,  and  promises  to  His 
children,  than  that  of  Socrates,  who  spoke  be¬ 
fore  the  Day-star  of  hope  appeared.  44  All 


HOW  TO  LIVE  FOREVER 


177 


men’s  souls  are  immortal,  but  tlie  souls  of  the 
righteous  are  both  immortal  and  divine.” 

What  is  everlasting  life?  It  is  the  gift  of 
God.  As  men  we  stand  helpless  and  entirely 
inadequate  before  the  great  and  mysterious 
fact.  WTe  cannot  achieve  it.  It  is  impossible 
for  us  to  take  it  by  force  of  arms.  But  the 
weak  as  well  as  the  strong  possess  it.  It  is  at 
the  end  of  no  long  and  hazardous  trail  of  dis¬ 
covery.  We  seek  for  it  without  success. 
Ponce  de  Leon  at  last  found  Florida,  but  his 
quest  of  the  fountain  of  eternal  youth  was  as 
vain  as  similar  quests  that  the  voyageurs  of 
science  make  to-day.  It  is  not  ours  for  gold. 
A  great  queen  cried,  “  A  million  of  sterling 
for  an  hour  of  time!  ”  But  she  could  not 
complete  the  bargain.  It  is  a  universal  gift. 
All  races,  all  generations  and  all  classes  clasp 
it  to  their  anguished  breasts  and  hold  it  as 
the  dearest  promise  against  their  broken 
hearts. 

We  do  not  understand;  quite  impossible  is 
it  for  us  to  apprehend;  but  neither  do  we  fear, 
for  it  is  the  gift  of  love,  and  always  love 
casteth  out  fear.  It  is  the  gift  of  an  all-wise, 
of  an  all-powerful,  Love.  How  comfortable  an 
assurance  there  is  in  the  fact  that,  whatever 
else  everlasting  life  may  prove  to  be,  it  is  en¬ 
tirely  sufficient,  altogether  adequate! 

But  while  it  is  a  gift,  while  it  has  cost  us 


178 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


nothing  of  value  that  may  be  counted  upon 
the  tables  of  trade  or  weighed  in  the  balances 
of  commerce,  it  is  inexpressibly  precious,  and 
it  is  ours  at  a  price,  the  price  of  the  blood  of 
an  only-begotten  Son. 

Some  things  we  value  entirely  because  ot 
their  associations;  they  have  no  intrinsic 
worth.  In  my  mother’s  room  at  home  is  the 
picture  of  an  ancestor  of  mine,  quite  unknown 
to  fame,  but  he  served  his  day  and  generation 
well.  He  ministered  in  forgetfulness  of  self  to 
the  people  of  the  pioneer  territory  in  which  he 
lived.  He  was  revered  in  his  life  and  beloved 
in  his  death.  The  picture  will  be  mine  some 
day;  and,  when  I  receive  it,  I  shall  value  it 
above  all  the  richer  treasures  I  possess. 

But  this  gift  of  life  unending  is  not  only  a 
gift  which  has  unspeakably  precious  associa¬ 
tions.  What  is  eternal  life?  It  is  the  lifetime 
of  God.  In  it  is  everything  that  His  life  pro¬ 
vides,  for  we  are  His  sons  and  His  daughters. 
It  is  work  forever,  congenial  and  satisfying. 
It  is  health  forever  and  peace  forever.  It  is 
friendship  and  love  without  end. 

You  have  been  asked  what  assurance  you 
rhave  that  it  will  be  possible  for  you  to  recog¬ 
nize  and  know  the  friends  and  loved  ones  you 
associated  with  in  time,  and  then  lost  awhile. 
I  know  that  I  shall  recognize  and  fully  have 
them  in  the  great  to-morrow,  because  I  had 


HOW  TO  LIVE  FOREVER 


179 


tliem  here.  My  eyes  will  not  be  less  keen  to 
recognize  them  then;  my  ears  will  not  be  less 
alert  to  hear  them  then ;  my  heart  will  not  be 
less  prompt  to  claim  them  then.  Every 
spiritual  faculty  that  we  have  made  use  of  in 
time  will  be  carried  over  into  eternity  and  per¬ 
fected  to  the  relationships  of  immortality. 

How  desperately  sorrowful  an  experience 
life  would  be,  if  we  were  finally  convinced  of 
the  fact  of  everlasting  life,  only  to  discover 
that  some  of  us  would  never  enjoy  it!  The 
very  knowledge  then  of  its  existence,  and  of 
its  existence  forever  beyond  us,  would  be  an 
indescribable  agony. 

Everlasting  life  is,  and  it  is  for  me.  But  it 
is  a  conditional  gift,  a  gift  the  conditions  of 
which  have  been  set  for  our  own  good,  for  our 
own  final  and  larger  joy.  The  most  satis¬ 
factory  endowment  plans  are  those  which  pass 
large  contributions  into  the  hands  of  trustees, 
provided  conditions  are  met  which  ensure  the 
permanent  upkeep  and  the  larger  life  of  the 
institution.  This  surpassing  gift  of  God,  which 
is  ours  without  money  and  without  price, 
which  we  have  only  to  accept,  to  enjoy,  rests 
upon  two  conditions;  and  Jesus  sets  them  forth 
in  His  own  matchless  way,  “  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  he  that  heareth  my  word,  and 
believeth  on  him  that  sent  me,  hath  everlast¬ 
ing  life.” 


180 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


44  He  that  heareth  my  word.”  The  impli¬ 
cations  are  moral  as  well  as  physical.  4  4  He 
that  heareth  my  word,”  to  do  it.  44  He  that 
heareth  my  word,”  to  follow  me.  It  was  to 
the  rich  young  ruler  that  He  unfolded  in  chal¬ 
lenging  sentences  His  larger  meaning.  To  this 
youth,  eagerly  inquiring  the  way  of  life,  He 
said,  44  Go,  sell  all  that  thou  hast,  and  come, 
follow  me.”  44  He  that  heareth  my  word.” 
Stephen,  Paul,  Augustine,  Calvin,  Livingstone, 
Carey,  the  wise  and  good  who  in  all  ages  have 
counted  life  only  in  figures  of  unselfishness, 
and  the  simple  people  of  the  village  kirk,  of 
the  Pilgrim  shore,  of  the  crowded  city,  who 
have  kept  His  faith  and  fitted  their  feet  to 
the  red  trail  of  His  Calvaries. 

And  the  second  condition  is  vitally  associ- 
ater  with  the  first.  44  He  that  believeth  on 
Him  that  sent  me.”  This  everlasting  life  of 
which  we  write  has  its  foundations  planted 
squarely  upon  faith  in  God;  and,  were  it  pos¬ 
sible  for  us  to  receive  the  gift  without  such 
belief,  how  unsatisfactory  a  gift  it  would  be! 
The  only  measure  that  we  have  for  the  value 
of  that  which  we  receive  from  the  hands  of  a 
giver  is  the  measure  of  our  love  for  the  giver 
and  our  confidence  in  him.  If  I  have  any  of 
the  instincts  of  a  sound  character,  I  return 
gifts  that  come  from  those  in  whom  I  have  no 
confidence. 


HOW  TO  LIVE  FOREVER 


181 


How  shall  we  live  forever?  Men  and  women 
live  forever,  so  far  as  history  is  concerned, 
when  they  relate  themselves  to  causes  that 
can  never  die.  Some  one  has  written  that 
monuments  are  a  protest  against  oblivion. 
The  only  monuments  that  do  not  crumble  are 
those  that  are  raised  by  the  hands  of  noble 
deeds  in  the  hearts  of  humankind. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary 
"VVar  Rufus  Putnam,  cousin  of  the  more 
widely  known  Israel  Putnam,  received  a  grant 
of  land  on  the  Ohio  River.  He  removed  with 
his  family  and  many  of  his  associates  to  the 
section  of  country  where  Marietta  now  stands. 
He  was  the  founder  of  the  first  Sunday  School 
attended  by  white  people  in  the  great  Western 
Reserve.  The  Moravian  missionaries  a  few 
miles  farther  north  on  the  Tuscarawas  River 
had  already  gathered  together  the  Indians  for 
religious  instruction. 

Eventually  Rufus  Putnam  felt  the  weight  of 
his  years,  and  was  no  longer  able  to  attend 
regularly  the  “  means  of  divine  grace.”  It 
was  in  the  closing  days  of  his  eventful  life  that 
a  young  minister  came  out  to  Marietta  from 
New  England.  The  pastor  was  of  course  very 
soon  conscious  of  the  absence  of  his  distin¬ 
guished  parishioner.  Feeling  keenly  his  bur¬ 
den  of  responsibility  as  the  shepherd  of  the 
flock,  and  determined  to  do  his  full  duty  by 


182 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


the  aged  man,  he  called  upon  Father  Putnam 
and  inquired  into  his  state  of  grace. 

The  story  runs  that  the  venerable  man  did 
not  at  first  grasp  the  full  significance  of  the 
visit.  He  sat  in  the  great  chair,  and  smiled, 
and  rocked.  The  young  minister,  not  at  all 
satisfied  with  the  progress  of  the  interview, 
finally  drew  his  chair  very  close  to  that  of  his 
host,  and,  lifting  his  voice,  questioned: 
“  Father  Putnam,  how  is  it  with  your  soul? 
Father  Putnam,  are  you  afraid  to  die  ?  ’  ’  And 
Father  Putnam  heard.  Suddenly  he  became 
alert;  his  rocking  ceased;  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  face  of  his  youthful  pastor;  and,  reaching 
for  his  cane,  he  straightened  and  steadied  him¬ 
self  until  he  stood  erect.  Towering  now  above 
his  interrogator,  he  dropped  his  hand  until  it 
rested  upon  the  clergyman’s  shoulder,  and 
said  in  a  voice  that  rang  with  the  vigour  and 
fervour  of  his  youth:  “  Young  man,  I  shall 
never  die.  I  shall  never  die;  I  shall  live  for¬ 
ever!  I  fought  for  liberty  under  George  Wash¬ 
ington  !  ” 


XVI 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN  ? 

SPIRITISM,  by  whatever  name  called,  is 
as  old  as  history,  and  its  record  is  found 
in  every  race.  In  an  address  delivered 
in  1922  before  the  American  Oriental  Society 
in  Chicago,  the  story  was  told  of  an  Egyptian 
politician  who  in  the  year  2,000  B.  C.  was  at¬ 
tempting  to  communicate  with  the  spirits  of 
the  departed.  In  our  own  land  Indian  lore, 
particularly  that  of  the  Southwest,  is  filled 
with  the  fear  of  witches  and  the  terror  of  sor¬ 
cery.  The  Bible  chronicle  begins  soon  after 
the  creation  and  carries  through  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament;  it  is  a  recital  of  the  practices  of  Israel 
and  the  Egyptians;  and  the  witch  of  Endor; 
the  story  of  the  magicians  of  Babylon  and 
Nineveh;  the  activities  of  Magus,  the  damsel 
of  Philippi,  the  vagabond  Jews,  the  sons 
of  Sceva,  the  astrologers,  and  the  false 
prophets. 

That  the  ancients  all  testified  to  a  mysteri¬ 
ous  power,  a  power  that  could  not  be  ex¬ 
plained,  is  recognized, — a  power  feared  and 
generally  condemned  by  those  responsible  for 

183 


184 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


government  and  ordered  society.  Its  oracles 
were  consulted  in  secret,  although  among  the 
Greeks  they  were  accorded  a  certain  public 
consideration. 

As  a  rule,  a  clear  distinction  was  made  be¬ 
tween  good  and  evil  spirits;  the  former  were 
honoured,  the  latter  appeased.  But  those  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit  and  able 
to  assert  mysterious  powers  as  a  result,  were 
almost  universally  made  the  objects  of  perse¬ 
cution,  and  death  seems  to  have  ever  been  the 
penalty  of  witchcraft. 

Perhaps  this  came  about  as  the  result  of  the 
superstition  that  whoever  sought  a  boon  or 
was  shown  a  favor  by  a  witch,  or  one  thought 
to  entertain  a  familiar  spirit,  sold  his  soul  to 
the  Devil,  was  fastened  upon  by  a  curse,  that 
always  an  evil  toll  was  exacted  for  prayers 
answered. 

The  reaction  of  normal  men  and  women  even 
in  primitive  times  was  unfavorable  to  spirit¬ 
ism.  To-day  it  finds  its  opportunity  in  grief, 
disappointment,  financial  difficulties  and  age. 
At  all  times  superficial  and  volatile  people, 
emotionalists,  are  influenced  by  its  spec¬ 
tacles  and  attracted  by  its  claims.  But  strong 
and  vigourous  thinkers  too  have  felt  bound  to 
study  its  amazing  demonstrations.  Certainly 
these  demonstrations  will  not  be  dismissed  by 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


185 


satire  and  ridicule,  and  it  is  not  the  writer’s 
intention  to  thus  treat  them. 

While  spiritualists  are  always  with  us,  the 
experience  of  the  recent  overwhelming  war 
tragedy  and  the  social  and  industrial  up¬ 
heavals  which  in  some  countries  approach 
chaos,  which  have  followed  the  war,  are  cer¬ 
tainly  responsible  for  the  present  great  and 
world-wide  revival  in  spiritism. 

Then,  too,  the  lack  of  a  religious  world  im¬ 
pulse,  the  contentions  among  Christians,  and 
the  falling  off  in  financial  contributions  which 
seriously  threaten  the  missionary  enterprise, 
the  sag  in  public  morals,  apostasy  in  the 
church,  the  loss  in  so  many  instances  of  the 
pulpit’s  passion  and  faith,  have  all  conspired 
to  set  the  stage  for  the  aggressive  prophets  of 
spiritism.  The  human  soul  is  at  all  times  hun¬ 
gry,  and  must  be  fed;  in  hours  of  special  trial 
it  searches  with  the  famine  appetite  for  food, 
and  morally  and  spiritually  we  live  in  a  starv¬ 
ing  world  to-day. 

The  writer’s  introduction  to  spiritism  came 
very  early  in  life.  Our  village  was  not  free 
from  the  more  common  manifestations.  But 
we  were  kept  from  finding  any  zest  in  the  mat¬ 
ter  by  the  simple,  natural,  unmistakable  Chris¬ 
tian  quality  of  our  home  influence.  Measured 
alongside  the  profession  and  character  of  a 
devout  mother  and  father,  spiritism  could 


1SG 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


never  become  attractive.  We  know  of  no 
stronger  plea  than  this  that  could  be  made 
for  family  religion  and  sound  Christian  in¬ 
struction. 

But  on  the  other  hand  what  are  we  to  do 
with  the  perfectly  frank  and  far-reaching 
scientific  claims  made  for  spiritism.  We  have 
no  disposition  to  enter  the  field  of  controversy; 
nor  is  it  our  purpose  to  do  anything  more  than 
bring  to  you  the  results  of  spiritism  as  we  have 
found  them,  but  certainly  reference  at  least 
must  be  made  to  the  scientific  claims  now  ad¬ 
vanced  by  our  leading  spiritualists. 

Solemnly  they  affirm  that  scientifically  it 
can  be  proved  that  the  dead  do  return,  and 
that  the  living  communicate  with  them.  That 
there  are  influences,  manifestations  and 
powers  employed  in  spiritualistic  demonstra¬ 
tions,  whatever  their  origin  and  effect,  that  we 
do  not  understand,  cannot  be  denied,  and  Sir 
William  Thompson  has  truly  said,  “  Science 
is  bound  by  the  eternal  principle  of  honour  to 
look  fearlessly  into  the  face  of  every  problem 
that  is  presented  to  her.”  Progress  made  in 
science  in  the  last  century  has  shown  that 
Argo  spoke  well  when  he  declared,  “  He  who 
promises  anything  to  be  impossible  outside  the 
field  of  pure  mathematics,  is  wanting  in  pru¬ 
dence.  ’ ? 

Let  us  pause,  then,  with  some  of  the  most 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


187 


serious  claims  yet  made  for  spiritism.  A  Har¬ 
vard  post-graduate  student  has  taken  certain 
critics  of  Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle  vigourously 
to  task  for  failing  to  recognize  what  he  de¬ 
clared  are  now  clearly  established  facts,  and 
he  links  the  alchemists  of  old  with  the  spirit¬ 
ualists  of  to-day.  He  also  suggests  the  identi¬ 
fication  of  the  “  first  matter  ”  or  mercury 
about  which  the  great  secret  of  the  alchemists 
centered,  as  the  “  ectoplasm  ”  now  affirmed 
and  quite  minutely  described  as  exuding  from 
certain  portions  of  the  body  of  the  medium. 

What  of  this  ectoplasm?  Indeed,  photo¬ 
graphs  of  a  materialized  spirit  face  in  forma¬ 
tion  have  appeared  in  certain  of  our  daily 
papers,  composed  of  this  viscous  matter  called 
ectoplasm,  and  said  to  issue  from  Mile.  Eva, 
the  noted  French  medium.  Sir  Arthur  thus 
describes  it,  and  testifies  of  his  personal  expe¬ 
rience  with  it: 

“  From  the  medium  the  ectoplasm  is  seen 
coming  out.  It  goes  forth  from  her  body. 
Ectoplasm  has  weight,  the  medium  weighs  less 
when  it  has  emanated  from  her.  We  have 
tested  by  weighing  the  chairs.  It  is  a  tenuous, 
gaseous  form,  and  the  spirit  of  the  dead  enters 
into  it.  It  is  so  delicate  that  the  character  of 
the  dead  persons  can  be  impressed  upon  it. 

“  In  Germany  and  France  they  are  testing 
this  substance  now.  They  find  it  contains  sul- 


188 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


phates,  carbonates,  phosphates  and  other  sub¬ 
stances  of  the  human  body;  and  then  some¬ 
thing  unknown  is  mixed  with  it,  which  they 
imagine  is  etherialized  matter. 

“  This  substance  is  the  link  between  two 
spheres.  Professor  Charles  Richet,  of  Paris, 
has  experimented  with  it,  extensively.  It  is 
moulded  by  the  spiritual  forces  at  work 
about  it. 

“  1  saw  my  mother’ s  face ,  wrinkles,  and 
gray  hair ,  as  real  as  anyone  could  ask  for .  1 

found  on  the  table ,  after  the  seance ,  a  note  in 
her  writing ,  signed  with  a  pet  name  no  one 
there  knew ,  and  misspelled ,  as  she  used  to  by 
ivriting  the  final ‘ e’  to  look  like  an  ‘n’. 

“  "Wasn’t  that  good  proof?  We  see  loved 
ones  moulded  into  these  masks  before  us.” 

“All  the  visitors  at  the  seance  heard  my 
son’s  voice ,  as  I  did .  There  were  always 
from  four  to  twelve  persons  present.” 

“  This  experiment  with  the  emanation  of 
ectoplasm  is  the  basis  of  all  the  experiments 
of  Dr.  Crawford.  *  *  * 

“  Many  mediums  seem  to  act  in  a  suspicious 
manner  when  they  are  quite  honest.  Then  the 
medium  is  under  control  of  a  sort  of  guardian 
angel,  who  acts  as  master  of  ceremonies.” 

The  novelist,  J.  D.  Beresford,  who  writes  on 
psychical  research  in  the  March  (1922)  Har¬ 
per’s,  refers  to  the  large  claims  made  for  the 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


189 


ability  of  tliis  same  French  medium,  Mile.  Eva, 
to  exude  from  the  facial  orifices  a  substance 
called  ectoplasm,  which  takes  on  human  shape. 
He  says  that  these  claims  are  neither  “  ill- 
founded  nor  exaggerated.”  He  asserts  as  a 
definite  fact  that  Mile.  Eva  has  been  able  to 
materialize  the  perfect  body  of  a  tiny  nude 
woman  which  moved  with  all  the  material 
actions  of  life.”  Paris  despatches  quoted  Pro¬ 
fessor  Richet  as  subscribing  to  the  same  be¬ 
lief  in  ectoplasm.  And  to  quote  Sir  Arthur 
Conan  Doyle  again,  writing  for  The  Strand  in 
1921,  in  an  article  entitled,  “  The  Absolute 
Proof,”  which  described  Mile.  Eva’s  seances, 
he  declared  of  the  substance  she  produced  that 
“  a  personality  which  either  is  or  pretends  to 
be  that  of  the  dead  takes  possession  of  it.” 

Claims  so  direct  as  these  and  from  such 
sources  cannot  be  lightly  dismissed.  The  vol¬ 
ume  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Society  for  Psy¬ 
chical  Research  was  reported  editorially  in  the 
New  York  Evening  Post  in  May,  1922,  and  in 
the  Saturday  Review.  This  volume  contains  a 
report  by  a  committee  appointed  to  examine 
Mile.  Eva  in  London.  Forty  sittings  were  held 
under  conditions  fixed  by  her  and  her  friend, 
Mme.  Bisson, — carefully  shuttered  windows,  a 
pitch-black  cabinet,  and  mere  momentary  ob¬ 
servations  by  the  light  of  a  torch  controlled  by 
Mme.  Bisson.  According  to  the  Saturday 


190 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


Review’s  summary,  tlie  report  is  an  expose: 
“We  have  here,  ’  ’  it  says,  “  an  extremely 
polite,  kindly,  gentle,  but  none  the  less  effec¬ 
tual  and  conclusive  pricking  of  the  great  bub¬ 
ble  of  illusion  which  has  hitherto  surrounded 
Eva  and  her  ectoplasm.  For  particulars  of 
the  ridiculous  *  *  *  trifles  that  after 

much  panting,  straining,  moaning,  slavering, 
and  retching  this  so-called  medium  ejected 
from  her  mouth,  the  curious  must  be  referred 
to  the  report  itself.  *  *  *  The  plain  truth 

about  Eva  seems  to  be  that  she  is  what  is 
called  a  ruminant,’’ — i.  e.,  a  person  who  easily 
regurgitates  swallowed  substances.  Nothing 
appeared  that  could  not  well  have  been  swal¬ 
lowed,  as  paper  or  wax.  *  *  * 

66  There  will  not  be  much  patience  with 
those  who  assert  as  unquestionable  facts  phe¬ 
nomena  which  are  highly  dubious  or  worse.  ’  ’ 
We  have  no  disposition  to  become  facetious 
at  the  expense  of  the  famous  writer  of  detec¬ 
tive  stories  from  England.  Indeed,  we  are 
possessed  of  a  feeling  of  sadness.  No  man 
cares  to  have  something  or  someone  his  youth 
well-nigh  idealized  made  to  appear  ridiculous. 
The  atmosphere  of  the  audiences  in  Carnegie 
Hall  toward  the  close  of  the  addresses  of  Sir 
Arthur  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit  to  the 
United  States  in  1922  seemed  to  be  increas¬ 
ingly  one  of  sadness  as  well  as  disappointment. 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


191 


And  granting  the  sincerity  of  the  speaker,  cer¬ 
tainly  he  was  releasing  dangerous  influences 
without  warrant;  encouraging  vicious  prac¬ 
tices,  promoting  the  victimizing  of  troubled 
souls. 

If  it  is  true,  as  Sir  Arthur  seemed  to  believe, 
that  we  are  on  the  threshold  of  a  new  science, 
let  us  deal  with  it  scientifically  and  not  as  some 
fresh-found  music-hall  attraction.  The  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  Rev.  Dale  Owen  “  asa  great  seer  ’  ’ 
surely  left  those  who  read  the  Owen  book  as  it 
appeared  serially  in  the  New  York  World  in 
1921,  nauseated.  We  have  never  read  any¬ 
thing  more  ridiculous,  pitiable  and  dis¬ 
gusting. 

After  following  the  distinguished  visitor 
who  started  with  the  advantage  of  having 
often  held  us  in  the  grip  of  his  genius  for 
story-telling,  we  became  uneasy  and  suspi¬ 
cious.  There  were  so  many  essentials  lacking, 
so  many  purely  human  and  material  circum¬ 
stances  were  introduced,  that  we  could  not 
escape  the  conclusion  that  the  gentleman  had 
been  deceived  or  was  self-deceived. 

Frankly,  is  this  heaven  of  his  which  is  pal¬ 
pably  the  heaven  he  would  desire,  but  which  is 
so  easy  to  reach,  and  in  some  respects  so  un- 
heavenly  when  reached,  heaven  at  all?  We 
fear  that  his  medium  central  is  as  incompetent 
as  the  lady  of  our  poor  and  unwarranted  tele- 


192 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


phone  jokes,  and  that  she  has  given  him  the 
“  wrong  connection/’ 

But  let  us  return  to  the  dictum  of  science, 
and  admit  again  that  science  is  in  honor  bound 
to  look  fearlessly  into  the  face  of  every  prob¬ 
lem.  We  most  emphatically  affirm  that  such 
scientific  investigations  as  these,  for  the  sake 
of  accuracy  and  to  protect  the  general  public 
from  exploitation,  should  be  locked  up  with 
trained  minds  and  in  places  set  apart  for  pro¬ 
found  research.  It  is  speaking  kindly  and  say¬ 
ing  little,  to  declare  that  the  matter  is  still  one 
of  very  doubtful  experimentation.  No  man 
should  exploit  his  opinion  or  commercialize  his 
honestly  held  conviction  at  this  point,  in  such 
a  way  as  to  strengthen  the  hands  of  shameless 
charlatans  who  break  hearts,  divide  house¬ 
holds,  and  destroy  minds,  in  such  a  way  as  to 
injure  society.  We  believe  and  have  reason  to 
believe  that  the  public  exploitism  of  spiritism 
is  a  bitter  and  dangerous  thing.  Were  it  other¬ 
wise,  we  would  be  glad  to  remain  silent  and 
allow  the  more  pleasing  statements  of  our  de¬ 
fenders  of  spiritism  which  at  the  best  are  pale 
imitations  of  the  golden  reassurances  of  the 
Bible  and  of  the  great  Teacher,  to  come  to  the 
people  unchallenged. 

But  as  it  is  the  earnest  and  often  sorrowful 
seekers  after  truth  who  should  have  our  frank 
judgment  of  the  too  much  published  matter. 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


193 


The  public  exploitation  of  spiritism  as  we  have 
it  to-day  is  as  unwise  and  dangerous  as  the 
unrestrained  and  general  experimentation 
with  malignant  disease  germs  would  be.  It  is 
like  making  a  plaything  out  of  nitro-glycerine, 
or  inviting  the  general  public  to  observe  close 
up  tests  with  4  4  T.  N.  T.  ’  ’ 

In  this  matter,  to  the  scientist  we  say,  4  4  Out 
of  Carnegie  Hall  and  into  your  laboratories;” 
to  the  general  public  we  say, 4  4  Avoid  it  as  you 
would  a  contagious  disease,  for  it  is  a  plague;” 
and  to  all  others  we  say,  44  Shame,  and  the 
curse  of  light  and  truth  be  upon  you !  ’  ’ 

But  there  are  other  considerations  which  to 
us  are  far  more  basic  and  vital  than  these  we 
have  just  discussed.  Let  us  grant  at  once  that 
it  is  manifestly  unfair  to  judge  anything  by  its 
counterfeits,  or  to  condemn  a  cause  because 
evil  elements  fasten  upon  it,  and  we  will  ac¬ 
cept  in  good  faith  the  hot  condemnation 
passed  upon  the  sorcerers  and  covetous  sooth¬ 
sayers  by  the  duly  accredited  spiritualists. 
But  we  are  bound  to  look  upon  the  results  of 
the  thing  itself,  and  44  by  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them.” 

Were  we  to  grant  the  fact  of  communication 
with  the  dead  and  the  instances  as  claimed  and 
described  by  spiritualists,  what  has  been 
added  to  our  body  of  knowledge  concerning 
the  further  state?  We  have  read  much  and 


194' 


LEAKN  TO  LIVE 


listened  to  a  good  deal,  but  we  have  found 
nothing,  absolutely  nothing,  added  to  that 
which  the  life  and  ministry  of  the  Christian 
church  has  not  already  and  far  more  convinc¬ 
ingly  revealed.  The  only  times  that  we  have 
found  spiritualism  approaching  a  convincing 
gesture  is  when  it  falls  into  the  language  of 
the  Bible,  or  plagiarizes  Jesus  and  the 
prophets.  Otherwise  the  future  it  pictures  is 
materialistic,  unattractive,  even  gross  and 
loathsome.  We  hear  of  gates  of  liquid  stone; 
vast  lecture  halls;  English  pipes,  spiritual 
cigars,  dogs,  cats,  uncongenial  mates  ex¬ 
changed  for  spiritual  affinities,  and  even  whis¬ 
key  and  soda.  In  an  English  pamphlet  issued 
recently  a  spirit  made  a  communication  that 
he  had  just  returned  from  casting  his  quarterly 
vote  and  was  “  weary.” 

The  clergyman  referred  to  as  a  great  seer  by 
Sir  Arthur  Conan  Doyle  gives  us  anaemic  and 
nauseating  descriptions  of  the  beyond  in  which 
small  family  quarrels  are  dignified  by  inter¬ 
vening  spirits;  and  in  which  spirits  talked 
always  with  the  clergyman’s  accent  and  collo¬ 
quialisms  and  smoked  the  clerical’s  favorite 
brand  of  tobacco.  What  utter  disregard  for 
their  fellow  spirits ;  the  poor  unfortunates  who 
have  suffered  all  their  mortal  lives  from  invol¬ 
untary  nicotine  poisoning  will  be  quite  sure  I 
know  that  the  clergyman  referred  to  was  hor- 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


195 


ribly  deluded  in  thinking  that  he  was  in  com¬ 
munication  with  Heaven.  We  have  never  read 
a  record  of  this  sort,  from  whatever  hand, 
William  T.  Stead  or  the  Fox  sisters;  from  dis¬ 
tinguished  and  sincere  minds  or  from  the  mer¬ 
cenaries,  without  being  affected  with  feelings 
of  pity,  resentment  and  disgust; — pityjfor  the 
hungry  soul  deluded,  resentment  against  their 
exploiters,  and  disgust  with  shameless  and  re¬ 
volting  things  masquerading  as  the  holiest 
treasures  of  the  immortal  soul. 

A  distinguished  spiritualist  tells  us  “  Our 
after  life  is  like  this,  only  all  is  happiness.’ ’ 
A  newspaper  of  New  York,  commenting  edi¬ 
torially,  concludes,  “  Then  give  me  annihila¬ 
tion.  A  savage  on  the  edge  of  the  Congo  in 
this  creed  sees  a  Heaven  exactly  as  things  are 
with  him, — a  black  gentleman  eating  portions 
of  a  dead  hippopotamus  on  the  edge  of  a  river, 
and  going  to  sleep  swollen  but  happy.  ’  ’ 

Even  for  purely  fanciful  and  imaginative 
descriptions,  spiritualism  at  its  best  falls  far 
short  of  such  works  as  “  Gates  Ajar  ”  and 
“  Intra  Muros,”  which  make  no  mediumistic 
claims,  which  are  deeply  devout  and  which  we 
advise  all  to  read  who  desire  to  know  how 
humans  talk  when,  without  sacrificing  the  es¬ 
sentials  of  Christian  faith,  they  attempt  to  put 
into  words  their  own  interpretations  of  the  life 
beyond.  But  before  reading  these,  read  again 


196 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


the  14th  chapter  of  John  and  the  21st  of  Rev¬ 
elation.  Better  still,  browse  deeply  through 
all  the  reaches  of  the  New  Testament.  But 
Gates  Ajar  and  Intra  Muros  are  unspeakably 
clearer,  saner,  and  more  wholesome  than  the 
words  we  have  heard  declared  with  scientific 
soberness  from  the  public  platform  of  Ameri¬ 
can  cities. 

When  spiritualists  are  most  convincing  and 
talk  of  the  land  of  fulfilled  desire,  where  men 
grew  strong  and  more  able,  women  more  beau¬ 
tiful,  and  where  children  reach  manhood  and 
womanhood,  there  is  no  reference  to  Jesus  as 
the  One  who  conquered  death  for  us  all  and  in 
whom  we  all  live  and  move  and  have  our  im¬ 
mortal  being. 

In  the  wake  of  every  revival  of  spiritism  are 
unbalanced  minds.  The  unfortunate  woman 
who  slew  her  babe  and  herself  because  she 
wished  to  enter  the  spirit  world  and  give 
counsel  from  that  vantage  to  her  husband,  who 
was  in  financial  difficulty,  merely  went  on  to  a 
logical  conclusion  from  the  major  premise 
that  she  had  too  literally  accepted.  Spiritism 
leads  to  no  satisfaction;  it  engages  more  and 
more  the  time  and  energies  of  its  followers, 
and  leaves  them  forever  unsettled.  The  real 
lesson  to  be  derived  from  the  witch  of  Endor 
and  Saul’s  conference  with  her  is  that  of  dis¬ 
satisfaction.  Whether  she  actually  called 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


197 


Samuel  from  the  dead  or  whether  he  came 
merely  in  a  phantom  of  their  minds  or  whether 
God  sent  him  and  surprised  the  unfortunate 
woman,  as  some  authorities  hold,  her  startled 
cry  proves,  is  after  all  immaterial, — Saul  got 
only  woe  and  agony  out  of  the  experience,  and 
this  is  the  fate  of  those  who  follow  his  path  of 
inquiry. 

The  fruits  of  the  tree  of  spiritism  are  unrest, 
domestic  infelicity,  marital  infidelity,  and  too 
frequently,  gross  immorality.  The  record  of 
the  Fox  sisters,  remembered  by  older  members 
of  our  present  generation,  is  a  warning  to 
every  man  who  values  his  children’s  love  and 
every  woman  who  treasures  the  loyalty  of  her 
husband. 

We  have  never  known  a  single  man  or 
woman  to  be  made  better,  more  useful,  truer 
to  home  and  country  through  spiritism.  We 
have  known  personally  some  who  were 
ruined. 

We  know  of  no  medium  whose  activities 
have  been  recorded,  who  did  not  at  times  prac¬ 
tice  deception,  and  the  greatest  frauds  yet  per¬ 
petrated  by  spiritism  are  of  recent  date.  But 
loyal  followers  of  a  medium  are  not  greatly 
shaken  by  discovering  her  in  fraud.  As  indi¬ 
cated  in  the  quotation  from  Sir  Arthur,  they 
find  excuses  for  her  trickery.  It  is  said  of  a 
sorrowing  son  who  had  been  persuaded  to  at- 


198 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


tend  a  seance  in  the  course  of  which  his 
mother’s  spirit  was  supposed  to  have  spoken 
to  him,  that  on  being  strongly  urged  to  give 
expression  to  some  feeling  with  regard  to  the 
matter,  he  said  with  a  great  deal  of  feeling 
and  an  implication  that  was  unmistakable, 
“  Mother,  mother  of  mine!  Well,  I’m  sur¬ 
prised  to  find  you  in  such  company !  ’  ’ 

Spiritualists  seem  to  be  always  in  touch  with 
spirits  who  are  earth-bound,  whose  interests 
are  here  and  whose  ideals  seem  so  often  to 
have  amazingly  lowered  since  they  passed  be¬ 
yond.  The  character  of  the  mediums  and  con¬ 
trols  selected  by  some  through  which  to  reveal 
themselves  after  death,  leaves  one  no  other 
alternative  than  to  conclude  that  either  they 
have  sadly  deteriorated  in  the  next  world, 
fallen  in  with  evil  ways,  or  the  whole  thing  is 
a  cruel  hoax.  A  distinguished  British  news¬ 
paper  writer  says  that  Flammarion,  the 
French  astronomer,  when  this  point  was  put 
to  him,  felt  that  an  explanation  was  required. 
And  what  was  it?  Well,  he  thought  that  souls, 
like  the  gases  in  a  balloon,  have  density. 
Heavy  souls  hover  near  the  earth.  More  re¬ 
fined  souls  speed  further  away.  And  it  is  thus 
with  the  denser  souls  only  that  we  can  com¬ 
municate.  But  if  the  soul  really  responds,  like 
Newton’s  apple,  to  the  force  of  gravity,  then  it 
follows  that  we  are  enveloped  by  a  Dantesque 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


199 


materialism.  And  any  soul  that  goes  astray 
into  stellar  space  may  have  to  cling  to  the 
moon  or  to  the  planet  Mars,  instead  of  to  our 
more  domestic  earth.  What  science  makes  of 
spiritualism  is,  perhaps,  a  less  important — a 
less  pathetic — topic  than  what  spiritualism 
has  made  of  some  scientists. 

After  all,  the  immortality  of  the  soul  is  best 
demonstrated,  not  by  photographic  effects, 
familiar  in  many  movies,  but  by  the  lives — 
indeed,  the  martyrdoms — of  the  millions  who 
for  thousands  of  years  have  striven  and  suf¬ 
fered  in  this  sure  and  certain  hope.” 

We  have  never  known  any  person  to  be 
made  more  truthful  through  spiritism,  and  in 
every  case  that  has  passed  under  our  personal 
observation,  judgment  has  been  uncertain,  and 
unreliable.  There  is  food  for  serious  reflection 
in  the  general  character  and  quality  of  me¬ 
diums;  as  a  rule  they  are  crude,  uncouth,  many 
are  ignorant,  and  not  a  few  have  been  sadly 
worse.  A  recent  disappearance  caused  a  great 
outcry  in  Paris  against  (according  to  the  daily 
press)  30,000  charlatans  and  fortune  tellers 
who,  posing  as  oracles  of  spiritism,  were  vic¬ 
timizing  the  people. 

Some  mediums  may  be  victims  of  their  own 
physical  natures.  The  darkness  and  secrecy 
in  which  spiritism  produces  the  manifestations 
that  have  so  wrought  upon  the  minds  of  men, 


200 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


stands  shamed  in  contrast  with  the  white 
light  in  which  Jesus  moved  and  laboured,  and 
lead  one  irresistibly  to  the  conclusion,  “  They 
love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their 
deeds  are  evil.  ’  ’ 

We  have  found  spiritism  to  be  essentially, 
hopelessly  selfish.  According  to  the  records, 
those  who  are  called  back  are  called  not  for 
some  good  that  they  may  derive  out  of  the 
interview,  but  to  minister  to  the  living.  And 
in  what  trivialities  they  are  engaged! — mov¬ 
ing  chairs,  rapping  on  tables,  directing  hands 
to  write  strangely  incoherent  sentences.  A 
venerable  clergyman  of  Philadelphia  reported 
that  his  wife  returned  and  told  him  where  to 
find  his  fountain  pen.  A  friend  inquired  why 
a  first-class  wife  should  be  called  from  the  im¬ 
mortal  life  and  tasks  of  Heaven,  even  for  a 
moment,  to  find  a  second-class  fountain  pen. 
What  utter  folly! 

The  emphasis  of  spiritism  is  a  false  em¬ 
phasis, — fundamentally,  profoundly  false.  It 
is  an  unseemly  crowding  toward  the  things 
hid  with  God,  an  unnatural  effort  to  live  the 
hereafter  now,  an  abandonment  of  present 
duty,  an  attempt  to  anticipate  the  great  in¬ 
heritance  and  at  the  expense  of  sacred  moral 
obligations.  Spiritism  weakens  body,  mind 
and  soul  to  do  the  work  of  the  world.  We  will 
enjoy  the  life  to  come  in  proportion  as  we 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN?  201 

have  prepared  for  that  life  by  our  daily  living 
and  ministry  here.  Hourly  we  are  build¬ 
ing  for  eternity.  With  us  eternal  life  is  not 
an  anticipation,  it  is  a  fact,  it  is  already 
begun.  He  is  a  sick,  an  abnormal  person,  who 
does  not  rejoice  in  being  alive  now  and  on 
the  earth. 

But  spiritism  has  no  dynamic  for  the  great 
and  needy  now.  The  writer  became  ac¬ 
quainted  with  a  particularly  distressing  case. 
A  refined  and  educated  widow  was  spending 
practically  all  her  time,  concentrating  all  her 
energy,  in  communicating  with  the  dead.  Ap¬ 
parently  quite  rational  in  other  subjects,  she 
declared  with  all  the  earnestness  of  Sir  Ar¬ 
thur,  that  on  St.  Valentine’s  Day  she  re¬ 
ceived  a  valentine  from  George  Washington. 
Unspeakably  sad  was  the  fact  that  the  mother 
had  so  influenced  her  daughter  that  she  con¬ 
sulted  the  young  girl  as  a  medium.  Thus  two 
lives  were  wasted,  made  useless  and  worse. 

We  turn  from  this  pathetic  home  to  that  of 
a  father  whose  son  was  suddenly  killed;  the 
great  soul  was  crushed  for  days;  the  broken 
heart  refused  to  function  in  old  tasks,  and 
then  the  man  arose  and  opened  his  empty 
arms  to  all  the  homeless  lads  of  his  com¬ 
munity.  He  built  them  a  club-house;  he 
taught  them  the  joy  of  self-help  and  the  dig¬ 
nity  of  labour,  and  when  in  peace  and  with 


202 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


many  honours  he  turned  to  his  last  couch,  he 
said,  “  For  the  lad  that  was  taken,  God  gave 
me  many  sons.”  His  is  the  true  message  for 
life. 

But  some  of  us  are  not  satisfied  to  rest  this 
matter  with  science  and  the  mediums,  nor  with 
their  proponents,  nor  entirely  upon  the  visible 
record  of  results.  What  does  religion  have  to 
say  on  the  matter?  What  are  the  historical 
statements  of  the  Bible? 

Certainly  the  Bible  contains  a  recognition 
of  spiritism  with  an  acknowledgment  of  its 
peculiar  power  but  distinguishes  this  power 
as  the  strength  and  genius  of  the  devil ;  draws 
a  straight  line  between  miracles  of  the  faith 
and  the  witchery  of  fakirs,  or  the  revelations 
of  those  having  familiar  spirits,  those  appar¬ 
ently  acting  as  mediums  between  the  living 
and  the  dead.  As  in  Galatians  5 : 20,  the 
Bible  always  classes  spiritism  with  the  evils 
of  the  flesh.  Recognizing  the  havoc  wrought 
by  spiritism  the  people  were  enjoined  against 
associating  with  it  in  any  way,  and  in  Israel 
its  practice  was  punished  by  death, — a  sever¬ 
ity  that  has  left  a  stain  upon  our  own  New 
England  history  and  which  the  love  of  Christ 
certainly  does  not  include.  The  power  of 
Satan  has  always  been  recognized  as  second 
only  to  the  power  of  God  himself,  and  always 
the  two  have  been  found  mightily  contending 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN?  203 

for  the  souls  of  men.  The  Biblical  condemna¬ 
tion  of  spiritism  is  decisive,  “  Regard  not 
them  that  have  familiar  spirits  neither  seek 
after  wizards :  the  soul  that  turneth  after  such 
I  will  cast  off  from  among  his  people.” 

We  know  of  no  more  effective  instrument 
being  employed  to-day  to  enslave  the  human 
mind  and  heart,  to  vitiate  the  human  will,  than 
spiritism. 

Spiritualists  do  attempt  to  identify  Jesus 
with  spiritism.  Sir  Conan  Doyle  declared 
that  His  writing  on  the  sand  when  the  woman 
taken  in  adultery  was  brought  to  Him,  was 
automatic  writing,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to 
associate  the  contortions  and  so-called  agonies 
of  mediums  with  the  agony  and  sublime  pas¬ 
sion  of  Christ,  but  aside  from  this  or  some 
similar  blasphemy,  spiritism  has  no  concep¬ 
tion  of  Jesus  as  God’s  only  begotten  son  and 
the  Saviour  of  man.  That  it  denies  the  funda¬ 
mental  claims  of  the  evangelical  church  for 
Jesus  Christ  is  not  denied;  for  his  peculiar 
nature  and  mission  it  has  no  room ;  as  the  pro¬ 
pitiation  for  sin  and  the  conqueror  of  death, 
He  is  not  needed. 

“  If  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  your  faith 
vain.”  If  there  is  no  Easter  morning  with  its 
empty  tomb,  if  there  is  no  apprehension  and 
acceptance  of  the  risen  Lord  by  your  mind  and 
soul,  then  is  your  faith  vain  indeed. 


204 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


Compare  for  a  moment  the  noble  assur¬ 
ances  of  the  Scripture  promises  vindicated  by 
rich  Christian  experience,  with  these  weird 
contortions  and  messages  from  the  seance’s 
darkness.  “  The  sting  of  death  is  sin  and  the 
strength  of  sin  is  the  law.  But  thanks  be  to 
God  which  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  “  0  death,  where  is  thy 
sting?  0  grave,  where  is  thy  victory?  ”  and 
the  sublime  comfort  of  the  14th  chapter  of 
John,  “  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  *  * 
What  more  can  spiritism  tell  us  than  this, — 
that  we  go  to  a  place  prepared  for  us  by  Him, 
where  He  is,  prepared  in  love,  love  omnipo¬ 
tent,  prepared  by  the  mind  that  forgets  noth¬ 
ing.  And  I  reserve  for  myself  the  right  to 
build  in  moods  of  exaltation  the  grounds  and 
trace  the  river’s  course  about  my  mansion  in 
the  sky!  Far  more  satisfaction  is  there  in 
this  than  in  having  another  fill  it  with  so  many 
things  which  to  him  may  be  Heaven  but  which 
to  me  would  be  disappointment  and  disgust. 

The  heaven  of  the  Bible  is  the  land  of  all 
the  perfections  that  the  famous  writer  enu¬ 
merated,  and  of  glad  reunion  with  loved  ones 
lost  awhile.  How  cheap  and  tawdry  the 
words  of  mediums  become  in  the  presence  of 
the  conversation  upon  the  Mount  of  Trans¬ 
figuration  and  the  mighty  sentences  of  John 
upon  the  Isle  of  Patmos!  “  And  I  John  saw 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


205 


the  Holy  City.”  And  how  smoothly  roll 
the  words  of  Peter,  “  an  inheritance  incor¬ 
ruptible  and  undefiled  and  that  fadeth  not 
away.”  What  more  could  be  told  in  a  volume 
to  those  who  anchor  their  faith  behind  Jesus 
Christ  and  in  time’s  dark  hour  lean  upon  His 
word  and  not  upon  a  failing  prop,  who  listen 
to  His  voice  of  matchless  love.  The  language 
and  wiles  of  spiritism  are  as  brine  to  famished 
lips  that  cry  for  water.  “  Ours  is  the  continu¬ 
ing  city  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God.” 
for  he,  who  hath  the  son,  hath  life ! 

For  us  it  is  to  choose  between  the  leader¬ 
ship  of  God  and  the  sometimes  amazing  but 
never  satisfying  demonstration  of  spiritism. 
“  It  is  the  Saviour  who  points  to  mansions 
above.”  In  Him  we  “  know  how  death  was 
conquered;”  that  “  joy  follows  sorrow,  light 
scatters  gloom,  and  Jesus  it  is, — Jesus  who 
has  brought  us  the  morning  of  gladness.” 

Distinguished  spiritualists  would  replace 
all  this  with  spiritism,  and  they  profess  to  see 
the  breaking  up  of  the  Christian  Church 
within  fifty  years.  The  Rev.  Clarence  May, 
of  England,  well  says,  u  The  religion  which 
commands  the  allegiance  of  those  who  desire 
the  highest  and  best,  follows  truth  for  truth’s 
sake,  and  must  be  free  from  even  the  sus¬ 
picion  of  fraud  and  follow.  Whatever  the  re¬ 
sult  of  spiritism  may  be  in  the  future,  it  is  cer- 


206 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


tain  that  up  to  the  present  such  messages  as 
have  been  published  may  very  largely  be  de¬ 
scribed  as  foolish,  flippant  and  negligible.  ’ ’ 

The  Lambeth  Conference  declared,  “  There 
is  nothing  in  this  cult  (spiritism)  that  en¬ 
hances;  there  is  much  that  obscures  the  mean¬ 
ing  of  that  world  and  our  relation  to  it  as  un¬ 
folded  in  the  Gospel.” 

Yes,  it  is  in  the  challenge  and  unfolding  of 
the  Gospel  in  the  ministry  of  Jesus  that  we 
have  our  sure  revelation  of  the  way,  the  truth 
and  the  life, — life  now  and  life  hereafter. 
Again,  in  the  language  of  the  song,  “  Seek  a 
new  life  and  go  forward  to  meet  him!  ”  Do 
the  dead  return!  How  unimportant  the  ques¬ 
tion  now  appears.  Am  I  going  forward  to 
meet  them!  How  infinitely  important  is  that 
question!  How  futile,  were  it  possible,  to  sit 
in  darkness  and  wait  for  them  to  come  back 
in  ectoplasmic  form !  Seek  a  new  life,  and  go 
forward  “  to  meet  them.”  The  words  of  the 
broken-hearted  shepherd  king  above  the 
empty  cradle  of  his  child  have  a  peculiar 
significance  for  us  now.  “  He  shall  not  come 
to  me,  but  I  shall  go  to  him.”  It  is  not  a 
question  of  what  can  be,  for  to  God  all  things 
are  possible,  but  what  is  God’s  way,  what  is 
the  Divine  will,  that  is  the  question,  and  here 
in  David’s  lament  and  declaration  we  have  it 
made  plain.  His  plan  is  for  us  to  go  to  them 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN? 


207 


and  in  the  words  of  Jesus,  “  That  where  I  am, 
there  ye  shall  be  also.  ’  ’ 

It  is  in  such  revelations  as  these  that  we 
find  the  companionship  of  our  ministering 
spirits,  the  strong  sense  of  our  ever  nearer 
approach  to  our  dear  departed,  the  ineffable 
comfort  that  hears  us  forward  as  with  them, 
hand  in  hand. 

Would  I  call  them  back  if  I  could?  Would 
I  turn  to  a  seance  if  I  knew  that  there  I  might 
hear  and  see  them  as  others  say  they  have 
communicated  with  theirs?  Absolutely  and 
forever  no  !  It  would  break  my  heart  to  have 
them  thus.  It  would  spoil  the  glory  of  antici¬ 
pation  in  which  I  live.  It  would  dull  the 
eagerness  with  which  I  travel  on  toward  the 
appointed  tryst.  It  would  be  the  sublime 
made  ridiculous,  heaven  made  earthlike  and 
love  made  common.  It  would  be  the  folly  of 
selfishness  and  in  selfishness  as  always  the 
agony  of  the  disappointed. 

Perhaps  the  writer,  though  not  an  old  man, 
has  watched  death  come  across  the  fields  of 
life  as  often  as  any  other  person  who  will  read 
these  lines.  I  met  him  first  as  a  little  boy 
when  he  hurried  just  ahead  of  me  into  the  tiny 
room  where  lay  my  baby  sister.  I  have  looked 
him  in  the  eye  as  he  took  the  mother  from  her 
sobbing  children,  the  father  from  his  son,  the 
golden-haired  bride  of  a  day  from  her  frantic 


208 


LEARN  TO  LIVE 


husband,  the  strong  athlete  from  the  midst  of 
his  robust  companions.  I  have  waited  for  his 
coming  in  the  silent  watches  of  the  night,  and 
I  have  seen  him  work  his  fury  on  the  hills  of 
battle  and  down  the  plains  of  war.  Once  I 
went  with  him  out  to  the  edge  of  the  world 
into  the  silence  and  peace  where  one  ceases 
to  battle  for  life  and  then  a  stronger  will  than 
death’s  or  mine  turned  me  back  again. 

Sometimes  I  have  caught  upon  the  faces  of 
the  dying  the  light  of  an  expression  that  only 
one  word  of  human  language  describes,  and 
that  word  is  recognition.  It  was  as  though 
they  looked  upon  loved  forms  and  faces  and 
passed  with  them  into  the  mansions  and  the 
gardens  of  the  soul.  Thus  I  have  watched 
them  go  and  none  have  ever  returned.  They 
are  there  and  I  shall  go  to  them,  and  always, 
moment  by  moment,  we  are  nearer  and  yet 
nearer  to  each  other. 

Ah,  and  I  have  high  hopes  set  upon  the  city 
that  lieth  four-square,  for  when  I  stand  beside 
the  green  mounds  where  I  laid  the  quiet  forms 
of  my  beloved  dead,  or  take  the  trails  that 
lead  me  to  the  graves  that  lie  so  peacefully 
beneath  the  western  skies  among  the  bell¬ 
shaped  hills  of  God,  “  I  know  Him  whom  I 
have  believed,”  and  that  though  they  shall  not 
come  to  me  I  shall  go  to  them;  that  we  shall 
greet  and  clasp  each  other  in  the  morning. 


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